With the Athens Olympic Games looming, Japanese sports officials are exploring a variety of scientific devices and methods to secure as many gold medals for Japan as possible.
At the National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health in Tokyo's Kita Ward, researcher Akifumi Matsuo, 51, can be found studying colorful images of running skeletons on a computer screen.
"It is possible to compare the same runner's running posture in the past and at present," he said.