Featured in The Irish Times
In June 2022, The Irish Times featured TrojanTrack, an innovative app developed by biomedical engineer Stephen O’Dwyer for early detection of potential injuries in racehorses. Inspired by his childhood at Leopardstown and his technical studies at UCD, O’Dwyer designed TrojanTrack as a tool to combine equine welfare with cutting‑edge technology. The app uses a deep neural network to identify 52 anatomical points while capturing horses walking or trotting past a camera. These data points are converted into biomechanical metrics and compared to baseline “healthy” movement patterns, allowing for identification of asymmetries that may indicate emerging issues.
Traditional gait monitoring is largely visual and subjective, with error rates exceeding 70%. TrojanTrack, by contrast, aims to be objective, fast, and non-intrusive. All that’s needed is a high‑frame‑rate camera—often just a modern smartphone—and a tripod. Trainers can scan their entire stable in a matter of minutes, capturing individual motion profiles quickly and conveniently. Uploading this data to the app automatically flags horses that deviate from their norm, helping trainers focus early interventions on the most at-risk animals.
O’Dwyer initially applied neural-network analysis in human biomechanics during his final‑year UCD thesis, then adapted it to equine use through on-site trials at a training yard. He launched TrojanTrack after completing accelerator programs including DIT’s New Frontiers and Waterford’s SportX, choosing to pursue the startup path rather than a traditional graduate route.
While other biomechanical monitoring systems exist, they often depend on wearable sensors or infrared markers - tools that are expensive, invasive, and labor-intensive. TrojanTrack’s camera-based approach eliminates these barriers, making routine monitoring feasible and affordable for any rider, owner and trainer.
