Advancing Back Protector Safety: Toward a better evaluation and design of Protection for Skiers and Mountain Bikers
Spinal injuries in skiing and mountain biking are rare (<5%) but often severe (30–45% of cases). While back protectors are popular, their effectiveness remains unproven. A project by the Laboratory of Applied Biomechanics and Decathlon seeks to evaluate and improve them. First, epidemiology and video analysis identified forward falls over handlebars as the most severe MTB scenario. Second, crash simulations showed protectors reduced fracture risk, but the reduction remains limited. The ongoing phase focuses on optimizing designs. The talk will present findings from the first two phases and their implications. Nicolas Bailly is a biomechanical researcher at the University Gustave Eiffel. His work focuses on understanding and preventing traumatic brain and spinal injuries. He graduated in mechanical engineering and earned his PhD at Aix-Marseille University, where he researched ways to improve ski helmets. Nicolas then worked at École de Technologie Supérieure (Montreal, Canada), where he characterized and modeled the cervical spine to understand injury mechanisms and developed foam and helmet technologies for hockey players. His goal is to bridge the gap between fundamental biomechanics research and product development to enhance brain and spine protection. This is a joint event with the ISSS (https://www.isss.ski/).
Recording: Only logged in ISEA members can access recordings of lectures
Location: Online
Date: 28/01/25
Organisers: Giuseppe Sanseverino
Special collaboration with the University of Napoli Federico II and is co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ BIP Programme and ISEA
FULL AGENDA: 15:15 Welcome address Prof. Nicola Bianco, DII Director, DII, Univ. of Napoli Federico II Prof. Antonio Lanzotti, MICS Rector Delegate, DII, Univ. of Napoli Federico II 15:35 An overview on the Erasmus+ BIP ARTISTE Dr. Teodorico Caporaso, Coordinator ARTISTE, DII, Univ. of Napoli Federico II 15:45 The International Sports Engineering Association Dr. Giuseppe Sanseverino, Chair ISEA Outreach Committee, TU Chemnitz 16:00 Talk: “Recommendations for the development of inclusive and sustainable sports technology” Dr. Thomas Allen, Manchester Metropolitan University 16:45 Discussion 17:00 Break 17:15 Talk: “From Fabric to Function: The Evolution of Smart Materials in Sportswear” Prof. Ada Ferri, Politecnico di Torino 18:00 Discussion and concluding remarks Discussants: Prof. Marina Rigillo, DIARC, Univ. of Napoli Federico II Dr. Stefan Litzenberger, FH Technikum Wien Dr. Stefan Schwanitz, TU Chemnitz
Recording: Only logged in ISEA members can access recordings of lectures
Location: Hybrid - Online or In Person (Centro Congressi University of Naples Federico II Via Partenope, 36 Naples – Room B (ground floor))
Date: 17/12/24
Organisers: Dr. Giuseppe Sanseverino
Optimizing Sports Performance and Equipment with Predictive Dynamic Simulation and Machine Learning
“Faster, higher, stronger” is the Olympic motto, and today’s athletes are fitter than ever. There have been steady increases in athletic prowess in the last few decades, but some of the biggest gains in sports performance have come from engineering advances in equipment and technology. In this talk, dynamic models and machine learning are used to optimize sports equipment and athlete performance, with applications in golf, baseball, Olympic cycling, wheelchair basketball, Paralympic curling, fencing, and ice hockey. Professor John McPhee is the Canada Research Chair in Biomechatronic System Dynamics at the University of Waterloo. His research team (morg.uwaterloo.ca) develops dynamic models, predictive simulations, machine learning algorithms, and model-based controllers for human-machine systems including sports, exoskeletons, and rehabilitation robots. He is a technical advisor to Golf Digest and Trajekt Sports, and his research collaborators include the Canadian Sports Institute, Ping Golf, Cleveland Golf, Bladetech Hockey, and Fencing Canada.
Recording: Only logged in ISEA members can access recordings of lectures
Location: Online
Date: 21/08/24
Organisers: Giuseppe Sanseverino
Design the equipment on the basis of sparse modeling
Performance of athletes depends both on the athlete and the equipment; both must work in harmony. Generally, there are many design variables during the design stage. It is also difficult to estimate the index of performances multiple times, due to time and budget constraints. This brings us to sparse modeling – number of estimations of index of performance are few, but design variables are many. In this ISEA international lecture series, the concept of designing the equipment on the basis of sparse modeling will be discussed.
Recording: Only logged in ISEA members can access recordings of lectures
Location: Online - Zoom
Date: 31/05/24
Organisers: Akihiro Matsuda
Design the perfect sportswear through the utilization of the pyramid of comfort
Professor Ada Ferri from the Department of Applied Science and Technology at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy will present our first lecture of 2024. The concept of the pyramid of comfort has been a long standing approach in the design and evaluation of comfortable clothing In the presented speech, the focus is on elucidating the various levels of textile testing and exploring the intricate interactions between clothing and human physiology This exploration seeks to gain a deep understanding of the performance of clothing, with the goal of uncovering the dynamics that contribute to an optimal relationship between the athlete and the clothing.
Recording: Only logged in ISEA members can access recordings of lectures
Location: Online - Zoom
Date: 21/03/24
Organisers: Giuseppe Sanseverino
Why do we need a 3D printed basketball?
A 3D printed basketball made by Wilson Sporting Goods was used by Houston Rockets player K J Martin in the 2023 NBA All Star Dunk contest Why was this basketball made and why does it matter? What are the academic, scientific, business, and social implications of using such a technology in sport? How do innovations like this intersect with the Sports Engineering community? Learn the history and forecast the future of the ball.
Recording: Only logged in ISEA members can access recordings of lectures
Location: Online - Zoom
Date: 23/10/23
Organisers: Nadine Lippa Ph.D., R&D Manager Team Sports Wilson Sporting Goods
Simulate human body mechanics considering environment and even intention
Professor Motomu Nakashima from the Department of Systems and Control Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan will present the second lecture in our new series of International Lectures. Join us for a fascinating insight into human body mechanical simulation.
Recording: Only logged in ISEA members can access recordings of lectures
Location: Online
Date: 25/08/23
Organisers: Akihiro Matsuda
Player-Surface Traction on Synthetic Turf Pitches
Professor Steph Forrester (Sports Technology Institute, Loughborough University, UK) will give a talk on Player-Surface Traction on Synthetic Turf Pitches. In addition, she will take the opportunity to invite attendees to ISEA2024 – 15th International Conference on the Engineering of Sport at Loughborough University, 8-11th July 2024.
Recording: Only logged in ISEA members can access recordings of lectures
Location: Online
Date: 26/06/23
Organisers: Giuseppe Sanseverino, Akihiro Matsuda, Patrick Drane