During the run up to the Olympics six events (hosted by Research Councils UK and the Royal Institution) were held across the country, each one explored the role of technological research in sport. The evenings had a number of different guest speakers which discussed and explored six different areas: Technological ‘doping’ Cycling Diving Sailing Athletics […]
We’re lucky to have a few members of the research centre that tirelessly travel the country, showcasing the work we do to hundreds of people. We’re also lucky that there’s often someone with a camera to record these events. For this reason we’ve decided to dedicate a corner of the blog to the videos and […]
I know something is up when I get consecutive phone calls from the press to comment on the same subject. Most recently this was about goal-line technology and I wondered what I could say that hadn’t already been said. And then I realised what the story was: that goal-line technology is a non-story very much […]
Major sports such as football, tennis and rugby get extensive media coverage. Less ubiquitous sports such as swimming and cycling usually have to wait until the Olympics or major event to get significant coverage. Table tennis rarely sees much coverage outside of the Olympics, even during a major event. However, this month, table tennis is […]
So, there it is, 2012 is now 2013. Olympic year is officially over, leaving emotional memories and a heavily worn box-set of BBC highlights. In Singapore in 2005 after we won the Olympic bid, I vowed that I would have some influence on London 2012, whether it be volunteering or selling flags. I can now […]
In the epic 2011 US Open Final, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal mesmerised tennis fans by sliding on hard court surfaces, a technique that had, for the most part, been reserved solely for clay courts. In this year’s tournament Djokovic appeared to have mastered the technique as he slid effortlessly into the final, only to […]
How to win an Olympic gold medal After all the excitement surrounding the recent London Olympic Games, it’s not just me wanting to be part of the gold medal rush in years to come. As our last ‘Ask a sports engineer’ question indicates: “What is the easiest sport in which to win a gold medal?” […]
Number 1: Cycling – Computational modelling of bike design Our final post in this series looks at a technological influence that isn’t focussed so much on the big gains, but more on fine tuning the small details to make a winning difference. As said many times during the Olympics, cycling is all about finding marginal […]
Controversial decisions are always a talking point in sport. In high pressure situations it is not uncommon to see athletes caught up in the moment and argue with officials. This is the theme of our next Ask a sports engineer question. In most games, match officials must make crucial decisions very quickly, this can have […]
Number 2: Tennis – Hawkeye assistant official In second place is tennis – although not the technological influence that may first spring to mind. Normally when referring to technological advances in tennis, racket design is the first on the list. Improvements in materials allowed the rackets to become lighter, stiffer and provide a larger hitting […]
Engineering Sport 