Garde: AI Fencing Coach

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Garde

Your favorite professional athletes—from Lebron James to Lionel Messi—could not have marked their place in professional sports without the guidance of coaches who helped them perfect their form when they were young, developing athletes. It goes without saying that their hard work brought them to where they are now, but the contributions of coaches to the athlete’s development should not go unnoticed either.

There are millions of aspiring athletes worldwide, but many of them do not have proper access to coaching, as the number of aspiring athletes is greater than the number of available coaches, making it impossible to match them one-to-one. Furthermore, a good coach is often expensive, so many aspiring athletes cannot afford a coach who can properly guide them. Without a coach, these athletes are bound to fall behind their competition, preventing them from achieving their dreams. However, aspiring athletes looking for coaches can now turn to Garde. This interactive and feasible computerized coaching system generates real-time feedback to help athletes fix their athletic postures.

What is Garde?

Garde stands out in the market as the first automated coaching system, leveraging AI technologies, computer vision, and web statistics. It’s not just for casual athletes, but also for elite athletes aiming for the Olympics. Developed with the guidance of Team USA’s certified Olympic coaches, Garde is a game-changer in the world of sports coaching.

Technology

A wide array of technologies go into this state-of-the-art coaching system. For instance, the team used Node.js and Express.js to create a robust back-end and MongoDB to store and retrieve data at lightning speeds. They used TensorFlow and openCV for AI, which helped produce unfathomably advanced results. As for the UI, the team used HTML, CSS, and Javascript to create a minimal yet simple user interface. The project team plans on using Amazon S3 to store videos in the cloud for easy access.

Operational Procedure

To use Garde, the user needs to take a video of themself taking any action and upload it into the Garde software system. Then, Garde will use AI technology to track body movements and compare the user’s actions and movements to the techniques used by professional athletes. In just seconds, Garde will print feedback on the user’s form. For example, it will let the user know if their elbows are too tight or loose or if their knees are bent too much or too straight. With Garde’s dedication to the sport and craft, the user can develop the same technique as professional athletes.

Business Model & Growth Strategy

Garde’s future is bright. Developed with input from coaches and athletes at Davis Fencing Academy, a certified Team USA fencing Academy, the team has ambitious plans. They aim to scale up their software, integrating new sports and increasing its efficiency. By December 2024, they plan to seek funding from venture capitalists (VCs) and high-level athletes to further enhance their software. By May 2025, they envision integrating sensors and hardware into the Garde training program, boosting the software’s accuracy and effectiveness.