How motion capture enhances sports product testing

In this blog series, we here at Motion Analysis will be shining the spotlight on the great work our clients conduct. 

This time around, let us take a look at Sport Product Testing. Who are they? Who do their services work for? How do they effectively use motion capture technology?

For starters, Sport Product Testing (SPT) was created in 2015 by Pro Stergiou and John Horton. As a company that operates under the Canadian Sports Institute (CSI) Calgary, in short SPT uses top-of-the-range techniques and analytical data to provide unbiased insights into sporting, health and wellness products. 

Their work is grounded in the belief that many products serving athletes – alongside the wellness coaches and technologists they work with – have not been rigorously tested in enough detail. Taking an academic approach, the company looks to validate products beyond their simple servicing of immediate real-world needs. How effective are they actually in improving performance? 

SPT helps customers to understand the biomechanics behind sporting and wellness products that are on the market, taking a human-product interaction point of view to break down their advantages or disadvantages. This could, for instance, include an assessment of running shoe shapes for preventing injury in feet, ankles, legs or knees, or how equipment such as tennis racquets can be best designed and utilised to boost an athlete’s development. They have been working with a range of industry-leading clients including notable sportswear brands Under Armour and Lululemon. 

Being based within the CSI allows SPT to cross-reference their product testing data using sophisticated lab work, as well as having access to world-class athletes and sport science experts affiliated with the institute. The CSI offers a fully interactive look into their sport testing facility on their website, so you can see the equipment and testing spaces for yourself!

SPT exclusively uses Motion Analysis Corporation as part of their product testing procedures to allow for 3D motion capture. What this software allows their team to do is initially track the movement of an athlete during physical activity, accurately collect their movement analysis data, and create real-time models for a more detailed look into an athlete’s anatomical movements.

Using such motion tracking capabilities, SPT can get a precise picture of how products (footwear, apparel or equipment) either inhibit or complement the subject’s physical output. It provides real-situation testing and data to validate each product’s effectiveness and if they are fit for the world’s best athletes. It is exciting to see how SPT can change the sporting product game for the better.

Motion Capture Buyer’s Guide

We understand that motion capture software can be a bit of a minefield. There are multiple options out there, offering various features that work differently for certain systems. If you are a biomechanist or researcher looking to boost your motion capture capabilities (or start anew), look no further than our Software Buyer’s Guide.

 
You can download it for free here.