#iboxer

Centre for Sports Engineering Research

The weighting of a golf training putter; the aerodynamics of a swimsuit; the nuances in design of shuttlecocks optimised for indoor or for outdoor use; the interactions between tennis shoe and playing surface; the software of elite sports coaching tools. These are some of the areas of meticulous analysis and experimentation that the team of specialist engineers and researchers at Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Sports Engineering Research (CSER) dedicate their energies to. Coming from a range of backgrounds - mechanical engineering, biomechanics, physics, or even mathematics - these academics bring their respective skills to bear specifically on the world of sport. Whilst sports scientists focus on muscle contractions, blood flow and oxygen intake, sports engineers are more concerned with how an athlete interacts with the external: their equipment, environment, and their fellow competitor. Now world-renowned for its expertise, the CSER was first established in 1996 by Professor Steve Haake as a research group at the University of Sheffield. The Centre moved to Hallam in 2006, becoming formalised as a research centre in 2010. The CSER works in close consultation with sports bodies, like UK Sport and such distinguished international clients as Adidas, to develop knowledge and increase understanding of the sports environment, and to push the boundaries of technology, equipment, and performance. Just as important as research and consultation to the CSER is education, and the Centre is a great advocate for public engagement. In 2011 the team brought art and science together with the interactive Sports Lab exhibition, installed at Weston Park Museum and subsequently the V&A Museum of Childhood. Further, through its work with schools and colleges, the CSER opens discussions on the ethics of their work and aims to challenge negative preconceptions about engineering and science. Challenging preconceptions Representing the CSER is Christina King. Behind her lengthy job title - Business Development and Commercialisation Manager - Christina’s work involves developing opportunities for research and consultancy across the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing. Even Christina didn’t exactly know what sports engineering was before she came to work in what she describes as this ‘quite niche field’. Her background lies in mechanical engineering; in some contrast to the image of an oil-smeared man sweating away in a garage - an old stereotype that she says still often endures - Christina first paved a career in defence, batch-testing Challenger 2 tanks, before turning her hand to consultancy. The skills she developed in the broad subject of mechanical engineering are transferable from one sector to another and, after completing an MBA, helped her land her current role at the CSER. Christina is keen to demonstrate that a career in technology doesn’t have to be on the pure engineering side. ‘I want to encourage people to think about different paths and to not limit their options. Just because you study engineering, you can go on to do something more business-orientated like I did; you still need to have that technology background’. Knowledge revolution As far as a field that only officially became recognised in the late-1990s can be attributed a tradition, in recent years the more ‘traditional’ areas of sports engineering - like product design, biomechanics - have been superseded by research into performance analysis systems. In the past it has been more about the materials. The 1980s saw innovations in the use of aluminium and carbon-fibre composites in areas such as aerospace and construction being adopted by the world of sport in improving equipment design. There’ll always be new research to be conducted when it comes to manipulating materials, but in some recent cases ingenuity and understanding has got to such a level that the innovation has overtaken the sport. The Speedo LZR Racer is a prime example of science and technology eclipsing human endeavour; Michael Phelps even claimed it made him 'feel like a rocket', and Ryan Lochte admitted to delusions of superherodom whilst wearing it. This intimidating little number was of such hi-tech construction that those wearing it broke an overwhelming number of records at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: it was subsequently banned on the grounds that it made the competition less about the athletes' physical performance. So, if the training apparatus is in place to prime the athlete’s physique, and the equipment and attire optimised to the highest permissible level, what’s the next frontier in competitive sports? The answer: knowledge. In the run-up to London 2012, sports engineers at the CSER pioneered integrated systems that allow for the automated collection and analysis of performance data. Working with elite sports coaches to understand exactly what kind of information is useful, they developed database software that allows the athlete to gain greater understanding of their own game as well as that of their opponent. These innovations bring about a new side to the athlete’s training: that of the intelligence, rather than the purely physical. iBoxer Developed by Steve Haake and Simon Goodwill and funded by UK Sport and Sheffield Hallam University, iBoxer is one such development in the domain of knowledge. The software was used by GB Boxing (the team that brought home three golds, one silver, and one bronze medal) in preparing for London 2012, and works thus:

Cameras and 3D sensors are set up around the boxing training ring, a birds-eye camera above. The coach can instantly access and review footage on a ringside touchscreen monitor. Information relating to over 20,000 international boxers and data from their bouts - including judges’ scores, the number of punches thrown, the distances travelled around the ring - are all stored on a database. Both coach and boxer can access, compare, and share this data and footage through a simple app interface on their smartphone or tablet.

Video equipment, apps...it all seems fairly accessible and relatively simple in terms of technology. But the innovation lies in its use. Certainly, video analysis has long been utilised across countless sports, but this development is about making the information more readily and easily obtainable. This way, the coach can concentrate on applying it to their job, and the boxer can immediately receive and interact with feedback on their performance while it’s fresh in their mind. Achieving podium potential is a holistic process; it requires the right combination of genes, access to equipment, proper nutrition, requisite funding, and unwavering dedication to the sweat and toil of physical training. But by incorporating such performance analysis software into their routine, an athlete can aim to learn faster than their opposition and, by reaching a deeper understanding of both themselves and their opponents in specific conditions, gain an advantage. Put simply, that advantage is the ability to enter a competition with the confidence of a prepared mind as well as a prepared body. Ethical questions Is technology akin to ‘doping’ in giving our teams an unfair advantage? Or is innovation necessary to drive others forward? Can state-funded research into sports ever be justified if not every country competing can afford the same? Is there such a thing as ‘natural’ sporting talent these days? Should teams be allowed to create technology purely for their own use, or should equipment be standardised? These are just some of the questions that abound when it comes to the ethics behind modern sports engineering. The UK has the infrastructure and systems in place to fund and support sport at both community and professional level, and with that arises debate over its responsibilities to poorer countries when it comes to international games. As technological and biomedical advancements make the 'bionic athlete' a less fantastical notion, consideration has to be taken with regards to where the boundaries lie. The team at the CSER don't shy away from engaging with these discussions, and their role as sports engineers comes with the responsibility of anticipating the consequences of their innovations. Though technology is extremely important, ultimately sport is about the spectacle of humans achieving magnificent feats; and in their work they never want to undermine that. The future Following the CSER's successes with Team GB in 2012, Christina hopes to see the engineers upholding that momentum. Much of their current work is confidential, but she points out that they expect a demand to rise for bespoke performance analysis software in the run-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. ‘We need to continue pushing boundaries, keep the excitement going. At the end of the day, people want to see records broken'. Christina King’s ‘The Engineering Behind the Medals’ will take place at 10am on 15th March, at Adsetts Lecture Theatre Room 6619 in Sheffield Hallam University’s City Campus. The talk is free. To reserve a seat, email [email protected] or call 0114 225 4870.

From SE, a free publication produced by Article Works in association with the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University’s Festival of Science and Engineering, March 2013.