VALD Performance – Revolutionising the Use of AIML for Training Athletes and Rehabilitating Patients After Injury
VALD uses the largest sports science data set in the world together with unique devices that measure movement and musculoskeletal functioning to offer unparalleled insight into human movement, performance, injury risk, and rehabilitation.
Newstead-based company VALD was established in 2016 and now has 180 employees worldwide—going from only 50 in Australia in 2020.
VALD’s innovative human measurement technologies are used by over 1,000 of the world’s most elite sporting teams (NFL, MLB, NBA, etc.), clinics, universities, hospitals and defence departments. Driven by a multidisciplinary team of researchers, clinicians, sports scientists, designers, developers and engineers, VALD continues to innovate products and grow their customer base.
VALD has designed a number of devices that measure strength and stability, such as their NordBord hamstring testing system and the ForceFrame strength testing system (testing upper body strength and stability).
These devices give trainers, coaches, and physiotherapists the ability to get an accurate view of the athlete. What’s more, the VALDHub allows you to gather the data in one place and visualise the results instantly. You can analyse how a person or team is performing against set metrics and measure their progress, or lack thereof.
VALD now also offers an exercise prescription app, TeleHab, that professionals can use to set exercises for athletes and patients and track whether they stick with the program, or not.
In addition, VALD has developed the HumanTrak Movement Analysis System.
HumanTrak uses a 3D camera together with movement sensors to create a 3D image of the athlete’s or patient’s body. It offers a real-time movement assessment that can help professionals tailor-make training and rehabilitation programs and set measurable objectives.
With HumanTrak instant reports can be created and printed, allowing the athlete or patient to follow along in their journey and buy into the goals set out for them.
In comparison, other companies use one or two pieces of equipment and can only measure one component of musculoskeletal health (e.g. strength).
Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AIML), plays a big role in what VALD does. It’s thanks to AIML VALD is able to generate normative datasets for their end users and identify anomalous tests recorded by their clients. AIML is also used in computer vision to track how people move. AIML has streamlined their data science processes and allowed them to move into the world of portable motion capture using a phone—predicting an individual’s likelihood of success in rehabilitation based on minimal data.
As they move forward, their ability to generate insights from data will continue to improve thanks to AIML. What’s more, their ability to predict health outcomes from minimal data will get better and better.
According to Product Lead Gavin Lenton, “We are excited to provide smaller and more portable product solutions for our clients to measure musculoskeletal function. We are also excited to generate meaningful insights from our large data sets that help practitioners make decisions about how to manage their patients.”
That VALD is having an impact in the field of sports and medicine is clear. Since VALD launched its handheld dynamometer product, DynaMo, in March 2022 sales have been booming. Currently, more than 600 units have been sold and this number continues to grow. Across all of VALD’s products, over 8 million unique tests have been recorded.
For more information about VALD please visit www.valdperformance.com
