CASES' first Technical Skills workshop unites UK Technicians in SES

More than 20 Sport, Exercise and Health Science Technicians from 13 Higher Education Institutions from across the UK came together at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) for the first CASES Technical Special Interest Group (TSIG) Practical Skills Workshop on Tuesday 16 June. 

The workshop was funded by the Technology Specialists Network (TSN), through the TSN ROKS fund which members of the CASES TSIG had successfully applied for.

Delegates were joined by representatives from two of the main suppliers in Sport, Exercise and Health Science within Higher Education; Cranlea and Qualisys, who have been great supporters of the group since its inception in late 2024. Andy and Jay from Cranlea, and Martin and Hannah from Qualisys delivered very informative, insightful and engaging sessions, with lots to take away for all who attended.

The day started with a welcome from the organiser and host, Neil Guthrie (ENU, Career Development Lead for the CASES TSIG). Neil was joined by Amelia Dingley MCASES (Brunel University London/Co-Chair CASES TSIG) who gave some background information on the TSIG, what we have achieved so far and how people can get involved.

This was followed by the first Equipment Parallel Session, with half of the delegates attending the Cranlea workshop, and the other half the Qualisys workshop.

Andy from Cranlea gave a very informative background on the company, including an introduction to the members of staff who we may not be aware of which will be very useful to know moving forward. We then received some excellent information on their new device, the Cortex 21, and how it differs from previous devices and how we could implement it in our own labs. Jay then took over, running through some very useful user and troubleshooting hints/tips for the Cortex and Metasoft Studio. This prompted some very interesting conversations around best practice and how procedures differ between labs.

Martin from Qualisys delivered a very informative session on how to best set up a Motion Capture System, tailored to the space in which you are working. This included a demonstration of the Qualisys Lab Designer tool, an online platform which allows you to visualise your volume and plan your camera positions for optimal data collection. Hannah then took us through a practical task, which included using tools in the QTM Software which we may not have been aware of previously. The task was to fly a model plane as far as possible without too much roll (10 degrees) or pitch (20 degrees). This was calculated by placing markers strategically on the plane to allow for appropriate flight, but also to allow us to create a model through the 6 degrees of freedom method.

Following lunch and networking, the groups swapped Equipment Parallel sessions before coming together again for a Q & A with the suppliers, refreshments, and a quiz.

To close the day, discussions were held around further development opportunities and future events.

CASES would like to thank both Cranlea and Qualisys for their continued support of the TSIG, without which we would not be able to run these events.

Thank you to the attendees, who came from across the UK to join us in Edinburgh.

Thank you to the funders of the event, TSN ROKS, who enabled us to make this event as accessible as possible for those who attended.

Be sure to look out for any future events being hosted by the CASES TSIG.

CASES Members can select the Technical Special Interest Group in their preferences within their profiles to receive the latest updates and opportunities from TSIG. This can be done within the Members Area of the website.