British startup Feldspar is planning to launch a new wave of athletic records. Athletes will be able to reach new sports heights not only thanks to additional or more effective training, but also thanks to the improvement of the running track.
Feldspar is developing a specific surface to achieve maximum running speed. The special construction of the coating converts more movement energy into horizontal driving force. As a result, sprinters can reduce the force required for vertical momentum and add extra force for forward motion. By improving energy efficiency, the system can also reduce fatigue.
These are not the only advantages of the advanced running track. It will also allow new sports ideas to be realized. By combining built-in sensors and camera-based data analysis, Feldspar will collect data in real-time directly from the surface. Coaches can use this information to optimize training programs, competition strategies, and injury prevention. Additionally, Feldspar aims to provide broader analytics to spectators. The startup plans to display traditionally imperceptible data to fans in statistics, such as stride length, acceleration speed, and maximum speed.
“On a broader level, we expect this to help create stories about athletes' profiles and create visually exciting sports entertainment,” said Alvin Chen, founder of Feldspar.
Chen herself was a professional athlete before. However, in 2020, her running career was cut short by a diagnosis of myasthenia (an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder). Leaving behind her sports career, she found a new way to continue pursuing her passion for running.
Innovations in footwear, apparel, and training have already allowed new world records to be set in athletics. However, track modernization has been minimal since the introduction of an all-weather running surface at the 1968 Olympics, which has undergone almost no changes since then. Chen plans to change this — by combining sensor data with a new energy conversion method, she aims to push athletes to new levels of performance.
Feldspar has already found investors from Hong Kong. Now the company plans to develop a prototype of the system to prove its theory in practice. Production of the coating is planned to begin next year. According to Feldspar, the end product will be the “world's first sensor-equipped running track”. Furthermore, it will be modular and portable, allowing for the transportation and deployment of mobile running tracks in different locations as needed.
Source: thenextweb
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