Sport has always been an early adopter of technology, from the development of chariot races in the early Olympics to the use of carbon fibre materials in modern sporting equipment. Now more than ever, science and technology is being exploited to help our athletes gain an edge over their competitors.
In this Ri Collection in collaboration with the Centre of Sports Engineering Research at Sheffield Hallam University, Professor Steve Haake presents a hands-on guide to the field of sports engineering.
With elite performance now separated by the tiniest of margins we investigate how sports engineering is helping athletes to gain the crucial edge over their opponents. In locations throughout the UK Steve speaks to the coaches implementing new technologies into their training regimes and explores how sports engineering innovation is being used on the front-line to aid athletes in football, tennis, diving and more.
With the Olympic games on the horizon, at what point does the use of cutting-edge technology overstep the mark and when does it become cheating? And looking forward, how will new technologies influence the development of sport into the future?
About CSER
The Centre for Sports Engineering Research at Sheffiled Hallam University is an internationally renowned centre of excellence for research focusing on developing fundamental understanding of the complex sporting environment and the creation of new innovative technologies.
Media Gallery
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Engineering Sport with Prof. Steve Haake
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Image: The Royal InstitutionEngineering Sport with Prof. Steve Haake
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Setting up the opening title shot
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Image: The Royal InstitutionSetting up the opening title shot
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Steve Haake on the running track
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Image: The Royal InstitutionSteve Haake on the running track
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A tennis ball is set in position within the wind tunnel.
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Image: The Royal InstitutionA tennis ball is set in position within the wind tunnel.
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Device designed to artificially 'warm-up' tennis balls by compressing them.
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Image: The Royal InstitutionDevice designed to artificially 'warm-up' tennis balls by compressing them.
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Playing a winning shot in tennis.
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Image: The Royal InstitutionPlaying a winning shot in tennis.
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Camera set up to shoot in the SHU motion capture lab
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Image: Image: Royal InstitutionCamera set up to shoot in the SHU motion capture lab
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Steve Haake takes a penalty shot in the SHU motion capture lab.
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Image: The Royal InstitutionSteve Haake takes a penalty shot in the SHU motion capture lab.
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The Ponds Forge diving pool
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Image: The Royal InstitutionThe Ponds Forge diving pool
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Filming from the underwater observation point at Ponds Forge
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Image: The Royal InstitutionFilming from the underwater observation point at Ponds Forge
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Related link(s)
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Engineering Sport
Official Website
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Centre for Sports Engineering Research
Sheffield Hallam University
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Centre for Sports Engineering Research
YouTube Channel
Tweets from @SportsEngineers
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@SportsEngineers Correctly timing a throw is like: "a drummer dropping a drumstick from the 10th story and hitting a drum on the ground on the correct beat"
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@SportsEngineers I love XKCD's 'what if'. There's a nice one on throwing today, worth a read to absorb some of the amazing facts... http://t.co/VnwkFnYW14
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@SportsEngineers Two great videos on aerodynamics forces by Sports Engineering legend Rod Cross: http://t.co/WFAyOPRKE2 http://t.co/WFAyOPRKE2
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@SportsEngineers Impressive hawkeye ball tracking on BBC video #glt http://t.co/5nV2rzVzY3
Image: The Royal Institution
