Titulo Estágio
Design and Use of Technology in Breaking (aka break dance) Training
Local do Estágio
DEI-FCTUC / CISUC
Enquadramento
Breaking (commonly known as Breakdance) is a complex and acrobatic street dance that originated in the Bronx. Its evolution has been driven by experimentation and creativity among breakers, without institutional support or educational programmes. However, with its inclusion in the 2024 Paris Olympics, breaking will require more structured and thoughtful training to improve performance execution. Despite its popularity, there have been no studies or technological support for breaking training to date. This study will adopt a Human-Centred approach and actively involve end-users in contextual studies, co-design activities, and technology probes. This project aims to bridge the gap between Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), dance, and sports. It seeks to enhance our understanding of breaking and explore how technology can support training. The outcomes of this research will not only benefit breakers of all skill levels but will also contribute to sports analysis and technology.
Objetivo
The goal of this dissertation is to investigate the current use of technologies during Breaking training, to then design, develop, and evaluate a prototype for an application to be used in this context. To achieve this, an ethnographic-informed study of the context must be performed, to understand Bboys/Bgirls actions and needs and develop a prototype for an application specifically for Breaking training.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 1
1 - State of the art review of technologies for Breaking with an emphasis on those used during training (technology here means devices, apps, etc.)
2 - Develop a plan for the ethnographic-informed study and contact relevant entities/people to involve (Bboys/Bgirls and coaches)
3 - Conduct a pilot study of the ethnographic-informed study with reduced group of people and refine the plan (if needed)
4 - Write the intermediate document of the dissertation.
Plano de Trabalhos - Semestre 2
5 - Conduct the ethnographic-informed study with an extended sample of people
6 - Analyse the results of the ethnographic-informed study to define the user needs and the design goals and inform the design of an application for Breaking training
7 - Design, prototype, and evaluate the application for Breaking training
8 - Review the intermediate document of the dissertation (if needed) and write the remaining chapters of the dissertation.
A - Writing and submission of a scientific article (Optional and contingent on the significance of the results)
Condições
The student is expected to have an interest in the Sports Technology. Any prior experience related to Breaking or similar sports/dance is a plus.
Observações
This work will be linked to the PhD project of Leonor Portugal da Fonseca, who is “Exploring how technology can support breaking training”.
The student will have access to professional Bboys/Bgirls if desired, and any questions regarding Breaking can be discussed with our team.
The work will be co-supervised by Leonor Portugal da Fonseca and Francisco Nunes from Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS
Orientador
Paula Alexandra Silva
paulasilva@dei.uc.pt 📩