I taught the mechanics of solids to mechanical engineering students for around 15 years. When it came to exams, I always tried to include examples from the real world that would stretch the most able of the students – I even had a question relating the bending of beams with the deflection of springboards during […]
Sensor, sensor in a ball? Which is the best goal-line technology of them all?
As many of you will already be aware, FIFA and particularly Sepp Blatter have recently indicated that goal line technology does have a role in football (something we’ve argued for some time). Frank Lampard’s non-goal against Germany in the last world cup has been cited as the turning point, a mistake which must not be repeated. For […]
Testing the best: Chrissie Wellington live on the BBC
Not only was I privileged enough to meet 4-time World Ironman Champion Chrissie Wellington, but I also got to put her through her paces live on air at the BBC’s 80th birthday event for the World Service down at Bush House in London. For info, the Ironman is a 3.9 km swim, a 180 km […]
Rafa’s racket: a weighty issue
At first glance, the spectacular conclusion of the men’s singles competition at the Australian Open may seem to suggest that Rafael Nadal is still clueless when it comes to playing the tireless Novak Djokovic. However, there is a difference to Nadal’s game this year compared to last. Nadal, former world number one, surrendered 6 defeats […]
It’s 2012 and it’s Olympic year. What do the public think of science and sport?
Well, 2012 is here. At last. It’s been a long wait and it seems like we’ve been talking about 2012 forever. For anyone involved in elite sport it is like a switch has been thrown – I’m only on the periphery and it’s manic so it must be crazy for those at the centre of […]
Is the safety of sports people being compromised in the pursuit of success?
Our third guest blog article comes from one of the students from our University and concerns the safety of motorsport, specifically in Indycar and Moto GP. Are speeds to high to be safe? Do speeds need to be high in order to maintain a vibrant fan base? It would be great if you could contribute […]
The Trouble with Oscar
Over the past couple of years I have been quite busy speaking about the role of technology in disability sport at numerous science festivals and conferences. South Africa’s ground breaking decision to select the bi-lateral amputee, Oscar Pistorius, to compete at the IAAF World Championships in South Korea has prompted me to finally write a […]
Swimsuit ban will affect world record progression
FINA changed the rules on swimsuits on 1st January 2010. This effectively banned full body polyurethane swimsuits which had been blamed for the overwhelming number of world records in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 Rome World Championships. Nunzio Lanotte wrote a guest blog on this very subject and concluded that perhaps we shouldn’t […]
Power Measurement in the Weights Room
In what seems like no time at all we have our second guest blog ready for consumption (if you fancy writing something get in touch). This piece discusses a piece of sports technology to measure power in weight lifting, enjoy! “Power is the most desired physical quality for a number of sports because it entails […]
Extreme temperature could influence ball properties at the 2022 World Cup
The host nation for the 2022 World Cup will be Qatar, a desert country where temperatures in June and July can reach 50 °C. I find it hard to even imagine that level of heat, let alone play football in it! The extreme temperatures are of obvious concern. So, alternative measures are being considered to […]
Engineering Sport 