The same motion-capture technology used to animate films like Avatar and video games like Madden NFL could help United States figure skaters earn more Olympic gold through a project at the University of Delaware.

Researchers are using the technology to videotape competitive skaters performing at the Gold Ice Arena on campus, creating computer-generated models that allow them to pinpoint flaws in skaters' mechanics so they can be corrected.

"We can take a fresh perspective of something they've been doing for a long time and improve the way they're doing it," said Jim Richards, a professor of kinesiology and applied physiology who is heading the $500,000 study funded by United States Figure Skating. "We can look at it from a perspective that they normally don't see."

No one else is working in this manner to hone skating skills, he said, and the scientists ultimately hope to create software models for coaches to use independently for videotape comparison purposes at their training arenas.

Testing with four subjects started late last year. But beginning April 22, Richards expects U.S. Figure Skating to start flying in skaters on a regular basis, perhaps four skaters every two weeks.

"They're Olympic hopefuls," he said. "These are typically young skaters that they're developing who could potentially reach that level of performance."

Ten overhead cameras outfitted with near-infrared lights at the Gold Ice Arena capture movement of skaters wearing 31 reflective markers placed strategically at places such as elbows, knees and wrists, as Richards and others watch through a window of an adjoining data-collection room. Specially designed software allows them to create a model of the skater in action that can be manipulated and viewed from every angle.

"They're creating a three-dimensional model," said Mitch Moyer, senior director of athlete high performance with U.S. Figure Skating. "The primary thing is to basically get an edge on the competition.

"I only see technology taking this a step further," he said. "It's on the cutting edge, but I see it going on way beyond where we are now in the future."

Working along with their coaches, skaters return to the ice for more recording until they make the changes that achieve the desired results. Sometimes it is as little as tucking in an elbow or straightening a leg. But in a sport where standings are separated by hundredths of points, any advantage could mean the difference between a medal and fourth place.

"The first person we ever tested went out the first time and nailed it," Richards said. "Sometimes it's quick, and sometimes it takes longer. We might spend the whole day with them."

"When we capture this and play it back to them, we can see things the coaches can't, because they're spinning so fast you can't catch it with the naked eye," said Jeff Mattson, a graduate student in biomechanics who also is working on the project.

Nationally renowned coach Ron Ludington, director of the Ice Skating Science Development Center at UD, has seen firsthand how the technological tool can benefit him and his skaters.

"They can break it down to such a degree in a slow rate that the coach can really see and say, 'Wow, that can really make a difference,' " he said. "It's amazing. You see so much that you really didn't realize happened, because the eye can't follow. We believe in it. No question about it."

Each of the four skaters tested so far was unable to complete a triple jump because of mechanical flaws. Through testing, repetition and correction, the average rotation among the four increased by 0.77, with two of the skaters eventually able to complete their triples, Richards said.

In the study, researchers are looking at variables such as body position in the air, momentum, jump height and skater build to help determine what might need to be done to improve performance, including conditioning.

Another study that could reduce skating injuries is running concurrently with the motion-capture project, using some of the same technology.

Skater Danielle Pilgrim, 15, of New Milford, Conn., who commutes to UD to train with Ludington, was being tested Thursday for the $10,000 injury study, which is being funded by U.S. Figure Skating to determine what part jump impact plays on injuries.

Kat Arbour, a graduate student in biomechanics who is working on the injury project, attached the reflective markers on the lower part of Pilgrim's body so she could locate positioning of the skater's joints on impact. She also taped an accelerometer to her shin to gauge speed of impact.

"I think it's really cool that she's trying to figure out what the jump looks like," said Pilgrim, who wants to compete in the 2014 Olympics in Russia and has suffered ankle, back and knee injuries during her six years of skating.

Arbour, a former skater, said preliminary studies have produced the surprising finding that double axels produce more of a jarring impact than triple axels. She believes that might be because the bend of a skater's body is more pronounced for the triple, softening the landing.

Improved science has allowed U.S. Figure Skating to move forward with the research, said Moyer, who revived the study with UD following a 10-year layoff. A motion-capture study in 1999 was halted after a year because of problems that included cumbersome reflectors and a feedback process that took too long.

"It was something that needed to come back," he said.

Richards said he expects the motion-capture tests to continue for at least another year and a half, but believes U.S. Figure Skating will extend the study beyond that time because it is such a valuable resource.

"There's no book that teaches you how to do a triple axel," he said. "We're refining techniques for successfully performing these jumps."

Contact Edward L. Kenney at 324-2891 or ekenney@delawareonline.com.