22 August 2011
Sports tech elite descend on sporting capital
Brain injury and sports surface stiffness, aerodynamics of footballs, the design of rowing boats and future smartphone sports tech apps are among the topics to be explored at an international sports technology congress in Melbourne this month.
RMIT is the forefront of research in sport through the SportzEdge program, recently conducting high-precision testing of garments and racing positions for Australia's Ski Cross team.
Research on wheelchair design will be among the presentations at the 5th Asia-Pacific Congress on Sports Technology.
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With London 2012 approaching, athletes and coaches know that technology and design often mean the difference between gold and silver. More than 100 sports science, technology and design experts will be engaging with the global sporting industry at the 5th Asia-Pacific Congress on Sports Technology at RMIT University (28 - 31 August).
Professor Aleksandar Subic, Head of RMIT's School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and Conference Chair, said sport has evolved into a global business worth more than $US600 billion.
"Experts will be showcasing the latest thinking around sports technologies for performance enhancement and injury prevention, technology assisted coaching, biomechanics, metabolics, and sports garment innovation to name but a few," Professor Subic said.
"From winter sports, swimming and ball sports to cycling, health and exercise, RMIT is delighted to be hosting world-class experts delivering new products to enthusiasts, professional athletes and companies."
More than 60 papers will be presented on almost 20 sports including:
- Swimming - swimsuit performance, start block configuration and kinematics
- Cycling - crank angle at peak torque, saddle height on pedal force, skinsuits
- Tennis - traction of tennis surfaces, aerodynamic properties of wool and polyester
- Soccer - analysis of the swing motion on knuckling shot
- Paralympics - wheelchair design on output velocity and acceleration
- Cricket - triaxial accelerometer bat swing interpretation, ball impact science
- Track and field - running shoes, thermoregulatory of triathlon suits
