Improving the Pedal Force Effectiveness Using Real-Time Sonification

Abstract

The pedal force effectiveness, an important parameter in cycling performance, is rarely optimal. Decreased power is generally observed during the recovery phase (the cyclist does not pull enough). An essential part of training for cyclists consists in improving pedaling technique. Visual feedback can be useful but may not be feasible in real life, where the cyclist has to visually focus on the road. We propose auditive feedback as a better way to help cyclists improve their pedal force effectiveness in real-time. In this study, both competitive cyclists and non-cyclists tested different online sonification strategies of force effectiveness, comparing them to a silent control. The ''Squeak'' strategy, generating a squeak when torque was negative, had the most positive impact on Torque Effectiveness: some participants managed to eliminate any negative torque for a full minute. INDEX TERMS Cycling ergometer, movement execution efficiency, torque effectiveness.

Online sonification improves cycling performance through kinematic and muscular reorganisations

“…Torque effectiveness. Our results support previously reported findings of the effectiveness of sonification on the pedal stroke 20,21 . Participants were less effective at pulling when presented sonification on their opposite pedal.…”

“…These results suggest sonification can play an influential role on pedal performance, but questions remain as to which kinematic and muscular activities involved are affected and whether these changes are physiologically or biomechanically costly. Although online sonification significantly improved torque effectiveness, we reported an approximate 3% decrease in torque effectiveness for expert cyclists during 8-min training sessions 21 , which suggested participants had difficulties maintaining this improved performance over time. Thus, the goal of this study centred on identifying which structural changes were induced by sonification to improve pedal performance via torque effectiveness.…”

“…This study supports previous findings on the effects of sonification on sports-related performance. There is increasing evidence that presenting high-level athletes with artificial auditory information enhances performance, which, interestingly, has been observed across the sports domain, including ball-related sports 15,43,44 and sports with continuous and repetitive movements 21,45,46 . While many studies have focused on reporting the effects of sonification on performance, our study not only found that online error-based sonification improved pedal performance, but it also identified the joints and muscles that were affected, as participants made significant reorganisations to their kinematic and muscular activities.…”

“…Several pilot studies have shown cyclists were able to use sonification to enhance pedal performance 18 , 19 . More recently, findings have reported novice and expert cyclists were able to improve their average torque effectiveness when presented online sonification that was based on errors of performance 20 , 21 . These results suggest sonification can play an influential role on pedal performance, but questions remain as to which kinematic and muscular activities involved are affected and whether these changes are physiologically or biomechanically costly.…”

Cellists’ sound quality is shaped by their primary postural behavior

“…In recent years, many studies have highlighted the benefits of gestural sonification 5,[112][113][114][115] , especially in the domains of sports performance and motor rehabilitation 116,117 . For example, sonification efficiently reduced the variability of golf swing gestures in novices 118,119 , or improved the pedal force effectiveness among cyclists 120 . The beneficial effects of sonification in reeducating patients with severe gait dysfunctions, such as Parkinson's disease patients, by rhythmic auditory cueing [21][22][23]121 , or neuromotor deficits related to the fluency of handwriting, such as dysgraphia [122][123][124][125][126] , were also well recognized.…”