Technological Aids
© 2015 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2
Technological aids are
performance-enhancing items
such as the fabrics and
materials used in sport
clothing, footwear, and
equipment; computers; apps;
timing devices; digital video
recorders; and heart rate
monitors.
•They are technological
innovations designed to
boost athletic performance.
Ergogenic Clothing Design
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A subfield of physics called computational fluid dynamics,
which studies the movement of air, water, or gases, is now
indispensable to the design of clothing for speed-based
sports such as cycling, skating, and swimming.
• Even a 5 percent reduction in drag as a result of clothing
design can significantly improve a cyclist’s performance.
• Speedo’s Aqualab used computerized scans of hundreds of
athletes to determine areas of high friction on each athlete’s
body to position low- friction fabric in the right locations to
reduce drag.
• Textured swimsuit fabrics inspired by toothlike projections
found on sharkskin may have helped Michael Phelps and
others win gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
LZR Racer
The combined effects of the LZR both compressing the body and
trapping air for buoyancy led to many competitors who used the LZR
wearing two or more suits for an increased effect. This led to some
claiming that the LZR was in effect "technological doping"
LZR Results
• The Beijing Olympics proved to be
an unprecedented success for the
LZR Racer, with 94% of all
swimming races won in the suit.
• 98% of all medals won at the Beijing
Olympics were won by swimmers
wearing the suit. In total 23 out of the
25 world records broken, were
achieved by swimmers competing in
the LZR suit.
• As of 24 August 2009, 93 world
records had been broken by
swimmers wearing a LZR Racer, and
33 of the first 36 Olympic medals
have been won wearing it.
New Rules
• The new rules, in effect since 2010, permit only “jammers,” suits
from the kneecap to navel for men, and from the knee to shoulder
for women.
• The fabric must be air permeable, and a suit may not have any
fastening devices such as a zipper, a response to companies that
began creating wetsuit-like neoprene suits after the 2008 Olympics.
Amazing New Fabrics & Materials
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Two of many performance-enhancing
advances in material science include the
following:
• An impressive new material called sugru is
a thermoset silicone rubber that is ideal for
forming comfortable grips on sporting
goods such as archery bows, ski poles,
and bicycles.
• Thermal regulation fabrics can store heat
from the body and release it when a golfer
starts to get cold. If you squeeze the fabric
on polo shirts made from this material, you
can actually feel the temperature of the
fabric start to change!
Sugru
For fencers, like lots of other athletes, modifying their
equipment isn't just about improving comfort or usability, it's
about giving them any bit of potential performance advantage
they can possibly gain.
“Hot Pants” & “Smart Clothing”
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Research into ergogenic clothing design has led to
some interesting innovations:
•Battery-operated heated pants can boost cyclists’
sprint power during performance events.
•Microscopic sensors and wireless networks can be
embedded in “smart clothing” to monitor
athletes’ heart rate, body temperature, hydration,
and other bodily indicators.
•A huge growth industry, wearable fitness technology
can provide real-time updates on body performance
and tips for improvement.
Hot PantsThe trousers have battery-
powered heat filaments that sit
over the cyclist’s core muscle
groups and maintain their
temperature between warm-up
and the start of an event. Called
ADIPOWER muscle warming
pants, they're said to perform a job
similar to tyre warmers in Formula
1 racing, keeping the muscles
heated in a bid to improve
performance.
Racecar-Inspired Designs
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Automobile engineering has gained on aerospace
engineering in terms of its impact on ergogenic
modifications to bobsled designs.
• Instead of using the usual aerodynamic
bodywork—wrapping the bobsled in a classic
teardrop, airfoil shape—the U.S. design team
draped the sled in a minimalist aerodynamic
carbon fibre cover.
•The result was the sleek, form-fitting shape of a
Formula One racecar.
Thermal Regulation
Thermal Regulation is a polymer (hollow) shell
yarn that utilizes phase change and controls the
production of moisture before it begins, explained
Bill Godden, AHEAD's director of apparel. The
material, Godden continued, absorbs, stores and
releases heat for optimal thermal comfort, while
the shell absorbs, stores and releases excess
heat.
"With our new Thermal Regulation collection, as
the skin gets hot, the heat gets absorbed, and as
the body starts to cool, the heat is then released.
Think of it as moisture going from liquid to solid,
then back to liquid, but being contained in a
hollow core yarn."
Impact Sensors Used in Helmets
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• Impact sensors that can be installed inside or outside helmets are now
commercially available. They can measure the forces involved in
impacts to the heads of participants in football, hockey, snow sports,
and lacrosse in real time.
• These sensors may help solve the problem of chronic
underreporting of sports-related concussions and other serious
brain injuries.
• It is critical that a player believed to have sustained a concussion be
removed promptly from the game.
The GForce Tracker (GFT)
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A research study at Western University in London, Ontario
has rigged the helmets of the university’s Mustang football
players with an electronic device that monitors blows to the
head.
• This football team is the first in Canada, professional or
amateur, to undergo such an extensive monitoring program.
• The device, called a GForce Tracker (GFT), collects data related
to the force, location, and frequency of impacts to the head.
• Researchers hope the data collected will help reduce the
number of concussions.
Nanotechnology & Sports Equipment
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Nanotechnology is engineering at the molecular level. It
involves the manipulation of matter on an atomic and
molecular scale by scientists and technologists, often to
make products in which at least one feature is sized from
1 to 100 nanometres. (A nanometre, abbreviated nm, is one
billionth of a metre.)
•The goal of nanotechnology is to create new
materials, computer chips, and sub-microscopic
devices.
•Nanotechnology plays a key role in the design of
sports equipment to make it safer, stronger, lighter,
and more durable.
Safer, Stronger, Lighter
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• New “reactive materials” can flex and move with a body in motion
but harden upon impact, thus protecting against injury.
Applications of this nanotechnology include gear for downhill
skiers and dirt bike racers and shoes for ballet dancers.
• “Nanocomposite coatings” can make tennis balls bounce twice as
long. Tennis racquets containing silicon nanoparticles vibrate less
and give players better control over their swing.
• Carbon nanotubes can be used to manufacture baseball bats that
are more lightweight yet more powerful compared to aluminum
bats.
• Arrows made with a resin containing carbon nanotubes are
lightweight yet strong, and the resin helps control the arrows’
vibrations.
Faster, Tougher, Water-Resistant
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•Carbon nanotubes in golf clubs make the
club heads stronger but also transfer energy
through the shaft more efficiently, thus
making the golf balls travel faster.
•Carbon nanotubes used in a resin can keep
bicycle handlebars and cranks rigid (a
desirable characteristic) yet lightweight.
•Waxes and coatings that use a nanocomposite
can make skis and kayaks more resistant to
abrasion as well as more water-resistant.
Digital Innovation & Ergogenic Aids
•Traditionally, most advances in sports technology have
been in material science and design.
•However, a certain plateau has been reached and,
today, the most significant influence on
technological aids to boost athletic performance is the
digital revolution.
•Digital advances mean that
an individual’s performance
can be tracked, optimized,
and shared in almost
unimaginable ways.
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Uploading Data to Smartphones
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Smartphone integration coupled with social
media is a major sport and fitness trend
today.
• For example, a pressure sensor embedded in
Nike+ basketball and training shoes can track
data about a wearer’s movements—including
how high the wearers jump—and transmit this
information wirelessly to their smartphones.
• The training shoes are designed for both
everyday and competitive athletes involved in
any intense fitness activity.
• The company says the Nike+ community
has grown to more than six million
“digitally connected” athletes.
Shoe Sensors: Nike + Basketball
• Hyperdunk a sensor enabled shoe
• Four different sensors and an accelerometer are
located inside each of the shoe soles to provide
accurate readings about how hard you played that day
and to record your highest jumps
• claims it has created an algorithm that is more than 96
percent accurate in its measurement and accuracy for jumps, etc.
Apps and Social Media
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•Some Nike+ sensors use Bluetooth technology that the
company claims is faster and drains less power from
connected devices.
•Performance data are stored locally on the sensor and
users can upload the data wirelessly to their smartphones
after their game or training session.
•They can share their workout statistics with friends on
social media networks.
•Apps such as “Map My Run” track a runner’s fitness,
and workout results can be posted to social media
accounts.
Pedometers
• A pedometer is a practical and accurate tool for measurement and
motivation in physical activity.
• It is an inexpensive piece of technology which, when attached to
a waistband, records the number of steps taken in a given time
period.
• A pedometer cannot assess the intensity of an activity, but it can
provide its user with information that can help the person become
more active.
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Accelerometers
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•An accelerometer is a tool that primarily measures the
intensity of physical activity.
•Accelerometers record body acceleration minute to
minute, providing detailed information about the
frequency, duration, intensity, and patterns of movement.
•Counts from accelerometers are used to estimate energy
expenditure on the part of physical education students
and athletes.
•Accelerometers can help students monitor their own
training.
Heart Rate Monitors
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•Heart rate monitors can be used to measure
exercise intensity and the demands placed on the
heart, because heart rate is related to oxygen
uptake.
•Estimates of energy expenditure from heart rate
can be affected by factors such as temperature,
humidity, hydration, and emotional stress.
•Heart rate monitors are popular with students and
everyday athletes as well as with highly trained,
competitive athletes.
Wireless Activity Trackers
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•A variety of computerized fitness
products promise to help runners,
skateboarders, and other recreational
athletes reach and better their goals.
•For example, wireless activity
trackers are small and relatively
inexpensive devices that allow
recreational athletes to monitor their
progress.
•They can be used while jogging on a
treadmill or running a marathon.
• Measure steps taken, calories burned,
distance traveled, sleep hours and
sleep efficiency
• Share your results instantly with
friends and family
• Set goals and silent alarms that
vibrate, view trends, and organize
records
• Keep track of physical activities and
daily diet as part of your overall health
Health-and-Fitness Wristbands
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• Beginning in 2012, sports
companies introduced lightweight
polymer-encased fitness
wristbands meant to be worn
constantly to track fitness levels.
• One major product measures
time, calories, and number of
steps taken.
• It uses an accelerometer to
measure movement and has a
built-in USB.
• A competitive product measures
steps, heart rate, calories burned,
and sleep patterns.
Digital Sportwatches
•With built-in GPS, high-tech
sportwatches show a
mapped route.
•They track time,
distance, walking or
running pace, heart rate,
and calories burned.
•The watch plugs into a USB
port on a computer to
upload data and recharge
the battery.
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Desktop Electric Treadmills
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•A desktop electric
treadmill is basically a
computer monitor
attached to a treadmill.
• It allows users to do job-
related tasks while
working out.
•These treadmills are designed
to offset the unhealthy (and
even life-threatening)
physiological effects of sitting
for long periods while on the
job.
Virtual Gyms
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•Digital fitness programs
cost a small monthly fee.
•These programs permit
users to choose a
workout and join in as
they watch it on a
computer or mobile
device.
•Each subscriber to an
online gym program
can choose from a
variety of workouts and
trainers.
Virtual Gyms
These virtual gyms offer classes that range from yoga to
HIIT anytime you boot up a computer , iPad or in the gym.