Chapter 16edhswilson.weebly.com/uploads/5/6/1/3/5613731/chpt_16_part_2.pdf · indispensable to the design of clothing for speed-based sports such as cycling, skating, and swimming

Chapter 16Part 2

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


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


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”


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.

Smart Clothing

Racecar-Inspired Designs


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."

Canada Wins Bronze in Bobsled


Impact Sensors Used in Helmets


• 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 Benefits of Helmet Sensors


The GForce Tracker (GFT)


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


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


• 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


•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.


Uploading Data to Smartphones


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


•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.

Nike Map My Run

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.


Accelerometers


•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


•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


•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


• 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.


Desktop Electric Treadmills


•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


•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.

On the Move with Geocaching


Documents

Chapter 16edhswilson.weebly.com/uploads/5/6/1/3/5613731/chpt_16_part_2.pdf · indispensable to the design of clothing for speed-based sports such as cycling, skating, and swimming