America's premier tennis teachers.

What is happening here, in essence, is that the scientific tools of biomechanics and computer technology are being applied to human and animal physical motion. The combination of biomechanics the study of motion in humans and other living organisms--and the speed and memory of the computer has created a new field of research. A field that, as Ariel puts it, is "science serving industry, sports and human performance."

This is the way a typical experimental program might work at the Coto Research Center: An athlete goes out on one of Coto's plush tennis courts or carefully plotted running tracks and peforms his or her specialty. Meanwhile, Ariel and his technicians film the action for an analytical process known as "digitizing." In a series of carefully coordinated steps, slow-motion cinematography records an individual's movement at up to 10,000 frames per second. After the film is developed, each frame is taken separately and the subject is traced from joint to joint by a special sonic pen which feeds the information to 20.000 microphones lining the two sides of the digitizing screen. Coordinates are registered and simultaneously fed into the computer. Onto the screen flashes a continuous series of stick figures representing the actual position of the body and its limbs during each critical phase of action. The computer performs a complete analysis of this data, producing a printout that compares the subject's performance to the "theoretically perfect" way to perform that particular movement. The athlete then sits down with Ariel and members of his staff in an attempt to discover what must be done to perform consistently at the athlete's full potential.

"Human beings are creative, but we have terrible memories," says Ariel, a stocky Israeli who competed as a discus thrower and shot putter in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. "Computers are ignorant, but their memories are infinite. You have to guide them step by step and channel your creativity through the computer software-which is a program created by human ingenuity."

Ariel moves over to a twelve-foot contraption that looks like something you might see at any neighborhood weight-reducing gym, except that

this one has a small computer screen blinking out information on top of it. It is called the Wilson Ariel 4000, and its proud inventor, Ariel, notes, "It is the only one like this in the world." What it does is offer computer-controlled exercise. "For the first -time, there is an intelligent exercise machine that has the capability of monitoring an individual's present physical status, ability and daily progress while exercising," Ariel explains. The Wilson Ariel 4000 can, for example, build up a postoperative knee by presenting it with the most appropriate amount of pressure each day. At the same time, it can prevent the other leg from weakening by challenging it with the full weight.

Ariel is convinced that the computer's applications in athletics and rehabilitation will be far-reaching because of the machine's instant feedback ability. During the exercise process, the user can refer to the display screen for information concerning the history, progress and immediate status of physical performance. Some of the available information includes:

-A list and amount of required exercises.

-The degree of maximum and average effort put forth by the exerciser during each repetition.

-A strength curve for the entire range of motion during an exercise, indicating strong and weak points in each repetition.

-Quantification of speed of movement during performance.

-Quantification of the fatigue level experienced during performance of a required routine.

The Coto Research Center is the brainchild of Braden, its chairman of the board, who also operates a lucrative tennis college at Coto de Caza. Braden had an agreement with Arvida Corporation, the owners of the property, that if he could turn a profit from the tennis college, they would, in turn, help him develop the research center. But it was the arrival of Ariel, an acknowledged expert in biomechanical analysis, that really sealed the deal. Ariel read about Braden in a national magazine and arranged the meeting that produced a partnership between these two men, whose thoughts on sports research were far ahead of their time. They opened the center in the fall of 1980.

What does their research mean to

the public? Can the average person come to Coto to have his golf swing or her tennis serve analyzed? The answer is yes, if the average person happens to have more than an average savings account the cost is $2,500 per person. For an animal, let's say a Thoroughbred race horse, the price escalates to $5,000. Not surprisingly, then, the center draws its clientele largely from the corporate world; the staff conducts experiments for various tennis racket manufacturers or the makers of golf clubs or running shoes. And although such work is interesting and profitable, it is not the final goal at Coto.

"Biomechanics offers much larger and more positive opportunities than just a consumer's guide to sports and recreation equipment and techniques," Ariel says. Coto's goal is to explore in its laboratories "the infinite applications of movement to the world in which we live." As such, the center already plans to study such varied subjects as "the new science of robotics with the greatest efficiency in industry" and "the best position for people in planes, in tanks and in automobiles for maximum safety and comfort."

Still, it is the facility's work in sports that continues to receive most of the publicity, and as the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles draw closer, the Coto Research Center, located just a couple of marathons down the freeway from L.A., is likely to assume a much larger role.

Although many suspect that some communist countries are already utilizing similar technology, no American Olympic team has ever attempted to make use of facilities such as those at the center; America has neither the funds nor the system available for its athletes. It has no specific means for maximizing performances through the use of computers and research.

"Ah, but what if one day it could?" Ariel wonders out loud, his eyes assuming an almost faraway look. "What if America could fine tune its athletes with the type of technology we utilize here? Could you imagine?"

Suddenly, Ariel seems lost in his own thoughts. And amid the eerie silence at the Coto Research Center, only the computers can be heard, humming in the background. ∎

PSA MAGAZINE May 1982