Development of an Instruction System for Skiing Using a Simulator

Abstract

    Utilizing a developed simulator, beginners can practice skiing indoors easily and safely, and can receive instruction in skiing by means of artificial intelligence. This simulator has a function which measures the skier′s postures and skiing operations. The simulator is driven by solving the equation of motion about skiing. The simulator creates virtual skiing slope scenes by means of computer graphics, and displays them on the skier′s head-mounted display. By watching these virtual scenes the skier feels a sense of the motion of skiing, virtually. Furthermore, the skier is really rotated in the direction calculated by the motor of the simulator. In order to attach the function of skiing instruction to the simulator, artificial intelligence technology is used. This paper proposes describing the knowledge of skiing instruction by using frames and production rules, and applying an expert system. The data the simulator measures and calculates is sent to the expert system. The expert system applies the production rules responding to the phase of the ski′s turns, the skier′s operations and postures, and then advises the skier by the artificial voice of a computer.