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Held every three years, the race is a gruelling round-the-world epic comprising 45,000 nautical miles, staged across ten legs.The 2017-18
edition started in Alicante, Spain in October and will finish in The Hauge, Netherlands on 30 June, taking in another ten cities on six
continents in the process
This means the only way to gain an advantage is to be better sailors.Team AkzoNobelDutch team AkzoNobel is competing in its first race and
technology on board,explains to TheIndianSubcontinent
Conditions are harsh, with huge waves, snow and extreme heat among the challenges to overcome
AkzoNobel wanted to see how health data could help them optimise these schedules and monitor the tiredness and fatigue of the crew.It worked
with SAP to see how this could be done
The two main obstacles for the team were that any technology could not interfere with sailing and that race rules forbid the use of
Internet-powered aids.This meant any system had to be easy to use and cope with harsh conditions
(not connected to the Internet of course).Analytical capabilitiesThis use of edge computing means that data can be acted upon offshore and
For example, one sailor might not sleep at all during particular conditions, or when sailing within a particular time zone.This means team
one percent gain over 118 days at sea can be significant
previously represented Australia at Olympic Games and World Championships
often ignoring his allocated rest break
However the data could eventually prove that if he does this too often, he may be too fatigued later on in the race, thus negating any
potential advantage.The team will also be able to see if the optimum route for the boat is too physically demanding and therefore it might
All the benefits go to the wider sailing industry
effective this time round, the truth is that the analytical capability will be more effective in the next staging of the race
of analytics from the outset, keen to ensure that no rules are broken
West, adding that even if a team opted to include biometrics for the next race, AkzoNobel would still have the advantage of a historical
data set.Ryan and Nicholson are speaking in Cardiff ahead of the two final stages of the race
