A very warm welcome to Dr Pooya Soltani who will lead the technical aspects of motion capture activity in CAMERA’s new Innovation Studio, funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Pooya joins us from the Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David where he worked as an Innovation Fellow for Biomechanics and Ergonomics. Based at the Bottle Yard in Bristol, our new studio offers state-of-the-art digital innovation facilities, including a high-end motion capture array and an instrumented treadmill for high end gait analysis. We caught up with Pooya to find out more:

Where have you come from? 

I completed a PhD in sports sciences at the University of Porto, Portugal, followed by a post-doctoral research at Aix-Marseille University, France. In 2019, I moved to the UK to work at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David as an innovation fellow. I am also a freelance science media producer and graphic designer.

What are your interests? 

With a holistic approach to physiology, biomechanics, and psychology, my research centres on extended reality technologies and gamification to improve sports performance. For my PhD, I explored the use of sports exergames for teaching, training, and inspiring real sports and physical activity. In addition, my post-doctoral research, used virtual and augmented reality to identify perceptive-motor expertise in ball sports. Out of work, I enjoy walking, swimming, cycling, cooking, and sending funny memes.

What will you be working on?

I will be based at CAMERA’s Motion Capture Innovation Studio and will scope and conduct new research and testing depending on client needs. I will lead the installation, capture, technical delivery, and maintenance related to motion capture. I will also be assisting with the supervision of graduate students and undergraduate project students and I will collaborate with CAMERA researchers to publish the outcomes in high-quality peer-reviewed academic literature.

What are you looking forward to the most about joining the University?

It is a difficult time to join the university but I am looking forward to working with CAMERA and the industry on impactful projects.

Learn more about Pooya’s research at scholar.google.com and check out our Innovation Studio pages to find out more about the services on offer to digital creative and healthcare SMEs in the West of England region e.g. funded business support, training and product development expertise.

 

This project it funded by the European Regional Development Fund, HM Government and the University of Bath.