Balance Mats for Special Effects, Military and Martial Arts Training?

Ian Bergman, MD,
Balance Mat

Met up with Ian Bergman and some of the team from Balance Mat, over lunch at Madam Lu yesterday. This was the first time I had sat down to eat with anyone since Canberra's lock-down commenced. It was great to be able to sit outside in the sun. The value of this mode of interaction was shown when Craig Davis stopped by on his way to Canberra Innovation Network across the road.

Balance Mat is one of those companies with a self explanatory name which requires some explanation. They are developing a balance mat: you stand on it and it tells you how good your posture is. This has application in medicine, sport, and leisure.  The innovation comes from using fiber optic sensors, to provide a rugged, reliable and accurate unit, with no moving parts.

Balance Mat are exploring markets and applications. It occurred to me this would be of interest to elite military units, as well as elite athletes, for training. It may also be of use for the video special effects industry. Normally stick on sensors are used to show the position of an actor's body, so that thy can be fitted with a virtual space suit, or green scales. However, it would also be useful to know exactly how they are standing. As it happens, Balance Mat are located at the Canberra Technology Park, the home of the local gaming & video special effects industry.