Can a Paralympic runner be the fastest human in the world?
Our Unbreakable Twin project is reimagining human potential
Paralympic 400m gold medallist Hunter Woodhall saw Wayde Van Niekerk set the 400m world record in 2016’s Rio Olympics and wondered who would be the one to better it.
A decade later, Hunter’s making a data-driven bid to smash it himself.
When Hunter told us he wanted to be the fastest human in the world, we wanted to do what we could to support his ambition. It sparked a transatlantic collaboration between Hunter, his team and our US and UK firms.
From this grew a unique data simulation, designed to help identify the set of decisions most likely to get Hunter across the finish line faster than any human being in history.
The Unbreakable Twin
Since Deloitte partnered with McLaren Racing in 2017 simulation-augmented decision-making has helped us win two championships together.
Alongside our clients, we’ve applied the same F1-grade digital twin technology and decision-making principles to a range of complex problems.
Now, working with Hunter and his team, we’ve used our experience in simulation and digital twins to build the Unbreakable Twin – a unique model trained to apply data-driven insights to that one all-important lap of the 400m track.
Insights are crucial because, while the power and poise of Paralympians and Olympians may make it look straightforward, dig a bit deeper into 400m race strategy and you’ll find its anything but.
Each race unfolds in five segments – each with unique biomechanical factors to consider – demanding a complex set of strategic choices for the athlete. From the push off from the blocks and navigation of curves, speed and energy efficiency in the straights to the final all-out sprint to the finish, there’s a lot weigh up.
Add prosthetic blades into the picture and the possibilities multiply exponentially.
“New tech solutions and data points, together with our simulation approach could have benefits that expand far beyond one athlete or even one sport.”
Dr Shruti Jayakumar, Assistant Director, Deloitte
Simulation and precision
For athletes running on blades, adjusting their alignment by a single degree or altering the stiffness or length of the material used changes how their energy is distributed.
Multiple variables create millions of possible configurations and interdependencies. And to complicate things further, optimising one factor can impact the others. A strategy that performs well in one segment could reduce performance potential in another.
No athlete or training team could physically trial all combinations and identify the best approach.
The Unbreakable Twin, however, can test millions of combinations of race configurations, effort strategies and blade setups. It’s the result of an exciting transatlantic collaboration between Hunter, his team and our UK and US firms.
When Hunter shared his ambition, we were so inspired – we wanted to lend Deloitte’s support. And because of the firm’s close connections with the world of sport and high performance, we instinctively knew Hunter’s ambition would resonate with our people.
As Deloitte’s long-standing partnership with McLaren Racing had originated in the UK, we created a combined US / UK team.
Working together with one goal in mind, the team’s aim was to use data to identify the set of decisions most likely to get Hunter across the finish line faster than any human being in history.
Physics, physiology and psychology
While physics and maths can calculate the mechanics, there’s a necessary human element to consider too. To state the obvious, Hunter is a brilliant human athlete – not a machine.
“Performance is part physics, part physiology but also part psychology,” says assistant director Dr Shruti Jayakumar, part of the Deloitte team working on the project. “Some decisions will naturally depend on what feels right for the athlete, so the approach considers Hunter’s preferences and intuition.
“Learning about how he performs best, exploring how our analytics can help shave vital milliseconds off his race time has been a privilege.”
And while this is primarily Hunter’s story, progress made together along the way could have a wider enduring impact.
For example, prosthetic specialists helped us run and document tests that had never been carried out before on specific blades, so we could factor in relevant variables into the model.
We also found that, having not been trained adequately to recognise them, typical machine learning tools for analysing video footage didn’t capture prosthetic blades in motion, so we custom built a solution to plug this gap.
“New tech solutions and data points, together with our simulation approach could have benefits that expand far beyond one athlete or even one sport,” Shruti continues.
“We’d love the project to have a ripple effect that could make a difference for other para-athletes and hopefuls everywhere and even the wider disability community.”
“It's about building a framework and approach that brings together physiology, physics and psychology in one simulation, accounting for individual variations and personal preferences but rooted in the laws of physics.”
In the months ahead, we’ll be considering what other specific challenges we can apply our learning and insight to.
And as for Hunter’s world-record attempt – watch this space!
Contact
Shruti Jayakumar
Assistant Director
Email: shrutijayakumar@deloitte.co.uk
Tel: +44 20 7007 4033
