Computer models help raise the bar for sporting achievement

Computer models now under development could enhance the design of sports equipment to help people of all abilities realise their sporting potential.

The models, more sophisticated and more specialised than others previously used in sports equipment design, produce unprecedentedly realistic simulations of how potential ball designs, for instance, will actually behave when in use.

This data can then be harnessed by sports equipment design teams to ensure that the final products they develop behave (e.g. bounce and spin) as required and, above all, with more consistency than ever before. This is vital if sportsmen and women are to optimise their skills, apply them with confidence and maximise their achievement.

The capabilities of these ground-breaking computer models, which are being developed at Loughborough University by a team from the Sports Technology Research Group, will be described at this year’s BA Festival of Science in York.

“The UK is at the forefront of sports-related engineering,” says Dr Andy Harland, who leads the team and will deliver the presentation on 13th September. “Our computer models can provide invaluable technical input to the sports equipment design process. For example, by enabling the real-world behaviour of different design options to be simulated with extreme accuracy, they can reduce the need to manufacture expensive prototypes and cut the time required to get improved equipment from the drawing-board to the shops.”

The basis of the models is provided by commercially available, industry-leading Abaqus software. The team take this software and then, by developing and adding complex algorithms*, enhance its ability to simulate mathematically the exact characteristics of a particular piece of sports equipment, of different playing surfaces and so on. The model can then show exactly what will happen when a ball, for instance, has a specified amount of force or spin applied to it, and how it will bounce and roll.

The underlying expertise has been developed with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Further funding targeted at specific objectives has been provided by adidas, the global sports equipment manufacturer. Key input has already been made to the design of the adidas +Teamgeist football used in last year’s World Cup in Germany. As well as other football projects, Andy’s team are currently working on models that will aid the design of next-generation running shoes which reduce the risk of injury.

The capabilities being developed could also allow designers to tune sports equipment more closely to the needs of the user, leading to increased participation in sport and therefore important health benefits across the population.

“There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that children and some adults are deterred from taking part in sport by ill fitting or badly designed equipment,” Andy Harland comments. “It’s ironic that a largely sedentary activity like developing computer models can make a real contribution to the quality of sporting performance and the enjoyment millions of people derive from physical activity.”

Source: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Related stories:

Hi-tech solutions boost Paralympic performances
Equipment used by Paralympians has seen remarkable improvements in recent years, enabling them to close the gap on their able-bodied counterparts and even look forward to a "bionic" future.
Printing in 3-D
It is a simple matter to print an E-book or other document directly from your computer, whether that document is on your hard drive, at a web site or in an email. But, imagine being able to 'print' solid objects, a piece of sports equipment, say, or a kitchen utensil, or even a prototype car design for wind tunnel tests. US researchers suggest such 3-D printer technology will soon enter the mainstream once a killer application emerges.
XM Radio set to battle Apple's iPod
XM Radio is the latest company to step in the ring with Apple's iPod. The satellite radio provider has teamed up with Samsung and Pioneer Electronics to create a pair of devices that combine on-the-go XM service with MP3 playability.
Ford feature will let parents set limits for teens
(AP) -- So you think junior is a little too lead-footed when he drives the family car? Starting next year, Ford Motor Co. will give you the power to do something about it.
Many receptor models used in drug design may not be useful after all
It may very well be that models used for the design of new drugs have to be regarded as impractical. This is the sobering though important conclusion of the work of two Leiden University scientists published in Science this week. The editorial board of the renowned journal even decided to accelerate the publication on the crystal structure of the adenosine A2A receptor via Science Express.
Time travel: Plantation harvest is done the old-fashioned way
The old one-row corn picker may not be much to look at compared to the giant agri-industrial combines of today. But when the first practical models began to appear in the fields during the 1930s, this small, simple harvester proved to be a labor-saving wonder.
Netgear Launches A New Family Of Wireless-N Routers
Netgear today has announced a new family of Wireless-N networking solutions that will make it easy for anyone to upgrade their wireless home network to Wireless-N technology. This new technology supports the simultaneous use of bandwidth running intensive applications such as video streaming, voice-over-IP, online gaming and QoS (quality of service) to ensure the correct prioritization of traffic.
Europe's 'space truck' heads for Pacific breakup
Scientists have earmarked a remote area of the South Pacific where bits of Europe's massive space freighter may crash when the orbiting craft is destroyed in a suicide plunge on Monday, an official said on Friday.

News discussion:

Technology news