Tactus

Traditional sports training systems often fail to provide timely and precise feedback, particularly outside elite settings. Athletes without access to professional coaching or expensive motion-tracking systems face a significant barrier to improving technique and reducing injury risk. The Tactus project reimagines this paradigm by introducing a wearable system that uses real-time haptic feedback to guide athletes across multiple disciplines, including baseball, figure skating, and powerlifting.

How might we deliver accessible, real-time performance feedback to athletes without relying on expensive, expert-dependent systems?

Tactus leverages Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and vibration motors to track and analyze an athlete’s movement against a pre-recorded optimal form. Deviations trigger tactile feedback that is low or high-frequency vibrations based on the degree of misalignment. This system bypasses the need for constant visual analysis or coaching, enabling athletes to self-correct in real time. Through iterations across three sports, the research validated the effectiveness of tactile feedback in reducing error rates, increasing training efficiency, and improving posture and motion alignment.

Final Design

The Tactus prototypes include a modular, hexagonal garment and a functional sleeve/jacket with embedded sensors and motors. These are complemented by a mobile app for recording baseline movement and reviewing post-session feedback. Whether correcting a pitcher’s shoulder mechanics, guiding a skater’s torso alignment, or refining a lifter’s barbell path, Tactus translates biomechanical data into actionable cues instantly. Each sport-focused design explores variations in haptic language (frequency, amplitude, multi-point feedback) and usability thresholds for optimal learning.

This collaborative project argues for a broader rethinking of athletic technology rooted in accessibility, immediacy, and embodiment. By moving beyond coach-dependent paradigms and visual analysis tools, Tactus offers a future where wearable systems support personalized training at all levels.

Read the Full Thesis