Left foot. Left foot. Right foot. Right. Feet in the day. Feet in the night. Wet foot. Dry foot. Low foot. High foot . . . Slow feet. Quick feet. Well feet. Sick feet. ~ excerpt from “The Foot Book” by Dr. Seuss
Run, Fuchs, run! And he is. Philippe Fuchs’ feet have already carried him 4,000—let me repeat—4,000 kilometers from Paris to Bisert. It’s no wonder after 3,000 kilometers into his journey that they began to look like this:
(Notice the swollen foot to your left.)
Fuchs’ feet are an important part of the V+R Challenge, not only because they’re his mode of transportation, but also because they’re the subject of scientific study.
Niels Gueguen, a research engineer at the Marseille Motion Science Institute is studying the ‘Fuchs Feet’ (ok, maybe a pun intended) in order to understand how those of an experienced athlete function during a marathon. Niels captured data before Philippe left Paris, is receiving data all throughout the run, and will study the Fuchs Feet after Beijing to look for any changes incurred during the Paris-Beijing run.
Ultimately the idea is to build a 3D model of the human foot with data from subjects like Philippe Fuchs and others. How does a foot, with all its bones and soft tissues, function in reality? Sports equipment manufactures want to know, and so do prosthetics makers.
Gueguen explains, “Our current means do not allow us to understand what goes on inside the foot. But, thanks to the realistic simulation solutions provided by Dassault Systèmes’ SIMULIA brand, we will finally be able to check in 3D how muscles act, to what extent bones contribute to movement and what consequences the impact of the ground induces on the foot.”
Oh, the Fuchs Feet, they serve many noble causes. I encourage you to watch the TVnima episode covering the period just before Philippe arrived in Moscow. It features his feet, how the Marseille Motion Science Institute gets the data for its study, and how the guy’s pegs are doing. Enjoy.
(View Episode 6 )
–Kate
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Have you heard of the Morph concept device?
I recently read an article in French magazine Newzy about this mind-stretching cell phone concept developed by the Cambridge Nanoscience Center and Nokia Research Center.
Morph, a dirt-repellent, waterproof phone that can bend, detect pollution, allergens, and capture solar energy, gives us a fascinating look into the future.
What about nanotechnology and sports? What kind of crazy impact could nanotechnology have on our future athletic endeavors?
So I did a little Googling and found out that:
TODAY, nanotechnology is already influencing the world of sports. Here’s a sampling of nano-sports products in circulation:
* Lighter golf drivers for more swing power and accuracy with nano-composite material on the crown (forget titanium)
* Tennis balls that maintain their bounce longer due to an engineered nanocomposite gas barrier
* Stronger serves with tennis rackets five-times stiffer than carbon ones thanks to nanotubes
* Lighter bikes and faster racing with bicycle handles composed of ultra-light carbon nanotubes
* Bowling balls that won’t chip or crack thanks to an extra-tough nanotech coating called fullerenes
This sounds pretty reasonable to me. A little too much. I want crazy, inventive sports products, not just beefed-up existing ones.
I want a Morph concept device à la sports innovation!
What type of outlandish sports equipment would you invent with nanotechnology? Post your ideas and links to 3D drawings on this blog . . . Let’s dream a little . . .
-Kate
PS: For more information on nanotechnology, visit this glossary.
Also, check out this article on futuristic sports equipment to tickle your imagination.
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Gear, serious gear. It keeps making the news.
From Oscar Pistorius’ running blades to Speedo’s LZR Racer swimsuit, you’d think it’s unfair to use athletic clothing and equipment to boost performance, yet it happens all the time.
It can also improve your wellbeing.
The other week at the Paris Marathon Expo, I spied two examples of “intelligent” sports equipment along these lines and wanted to share.
Technical Compression Wear
One stand made me think I was rather at a scuba diving or surfing expo. “Wetsuits at a running fair?” Then I noticed the word “Innovation” on the signage and had to check it out.
They were not wetsuits.
Imagine wearing a second layer of “skin” that (according to independent scientific testing) will help you feel and perform better when you’re training or resting. This is Skins.
Skins Brand Manager Angelika Ling told me the clothing is intelligently designed to compress strategic body zones for a number of benefits. (I asked which zones, but they’re top secret.) Here she is standing beside a Skins outfit for women.
Among other benefits, wearing Skins leads to:
• Increased strength and power by 10 percent
• Improved endurance by 15 percent
• Reduced cramps, shin soreness and muscular injury
• Reduced spider and varicose veins
Athletes wear Skins during training sessions, on airplanes, and to sleep. They seem like must-haves.
Intelligent Motion
I was also struck by the gigantic adidas stand. Not for its size, but for its display. Have you ever heard of ForMotion technology?
Here’s a photo of the stand entry point– note, they’re banking it all on ForMotion.
The secret to adidas’ new top-line running shoes like Supernova is in fact this technology.
Here’s adidas France’s Communications Director, Christophe Rativet, holding one of the Supernova shoes.
Thanks to ForMotion, your running shoes will adopt to different surfaces you run on, as well as your own unique movements.
Ultimately, the ForMotion technology helps prevent shin splints and knee injuries.
Now that’s a sports innovation! I’ve never been able to get into running because I always end up with knee or shin problems. If adidas can get me running regularly, they’ve hit the jackpot.
Here’s an adidas case study that explains the technology.
I’m willing to bet that athletes, and even occasional jocks like you and me, will train more if adidas and Skins can really help people feel more comfortable practicing sports, and even increase their wellbeing.
And isn’t training the real answer to winning competitions? Put me in a LZR Racer, and I still won’t beat even my next door neighbor . . .
If you know of any cool sports gear innovations that increase wellbeing and performance, let’s hear from you!
–Kate
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Satellite photos communicate louder than words. Look where Philippe called us from!
Our planet is beautiful, don’t you think? A heart-shaped lake somewhere near Poland and Lithuania.
The big news: no more snow! Before leaving Poland, Philippe spied several stork nests, filled with storks. Check out this video (don’t you love his French?):
When he’s not running, Philippe and the V+R Boys (Daniel and Bernard) enjoy hanging out with the locals. Here’s a video taken at a home in Poland. These are some of Bernard’s friends.
Already at over 2,300 kilometers and five countries since March 7, Philippe Fuchs is one fifth of the way to Beijing!
It’s support and comments from you, plus human encounters he makes along the way, that keep Philippe going.
If you have a personal message of encouragement for Philippe, or even a question—leave it here! After all, this is the Virtual + Reality Challenge; both domains depend on each other to make a better world. Cheesy, I know (but true).
–Kate
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I remember when my high school finally got its own stadium. Gone were the days of Homecoming on rival turf. You’d think any teenager would be thrilled.
Not me.
Sports facility design experience matters more than you’d think. Not only does it impact the psychology and performance of athletes, it greatly impacts the spectator experience, and don’t the two depend on one another, like theater actors and playgoers?
The Beijing National Stadium was certainly designed for a “Wow!” effect, both as you approach it and once you’re inside. But it’s not just about aesthetics. The seemingly delicate Bird’s Nest, as it’s called, is not as delicate as the nickname makes it sound. We’re talking 40,000 tonnes of steel enclosing 90,000 seats. Massive.
How do you design and build such a monster, yet give it a delicate bird’s nest look?
Well Nick just happened to know someone who works at the firm Arup Sport and called to find out. Arup Sport is the firm responsible for the stadium’s architectural design services, structural, mechanical and fire engineering as well as other specialist technical services. Yes, all that went into the Bird’s Nest!
Arup Senior Structural Engineer Kate McDougall suggested that the answer is 3D. She said that using 3D software like CATIA is vital for complex stadium design and further explained, “Stadia are all unique and they always incorporate complex geometry. Coordinating their design, planning and constructions involves making many changes and updates through the project’s lifecycle. ”
And then she said, “This process is enhanced and facilitated through the use of 3D models. The software allows us to save costs by developing a route to manufacture early in the project and also by allowing us to make use of standard components to improve quality and make financial savings. The CATIA 3D-based model methodology also makes checking efficient, easy and quick since complex geometry is modeled in three dimensions.”
Wheh!
Ok, so the same company that helped solve the mystery of the Great Pyramid, how the heck was it built, is also used to figure out how to build contemporary masterpieces.
But back to my high school. What I loved about Sanderson High’s stadium was the way it made me feel. After parking your car or being dropped off, there was always a glow hovering above the ground as you approached it. The grey concrete, bowl-shaped stadium was burrowed into the earth, as if it were built in a crater. Once there you felt cocooned, insulated from the rest of the world and captive to the fans, athletes and vendors present.
I think it was senior year when my high school inaugurated its own stadium. The result was a set of ground-level aluminum bleachers, perfect for loosing keys and french fries that would slip into the open space between seats. You were out there, exposed to whatever else was happening in the surroundings. Homecoming lost its magic.
Alas, if only my alma mater had used 3D design technology to conceive something at least a little closer to the Bird’s Nest!
–Kate, a disgruntled high school graduate
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Sports fans all over the world can follow their preferred teams and athletes by reading newspapers, listening to radio broadcasts, watching updates on the television, Internet, iPhones . . . Certainly sports news has never been so accessible, but can it become more intimate? What if athletes broadcast their own news?
I’m not talking about blogs, although they are a great way to gain proximity to athletes. How would you like to receive 3D broadcasts from a virtual clone of your preferred athlete that would allow him to be anywhere you are, on demand?
Although you read about the V+R Challenge on this blog (and I sincerely hope you continue to stay tuned), I wanted to share with you another way to follow Philippe Fuchs’ Paris-Beijing run. You can hear from Philippe himself (well, his photorealistic 3D avatar at least) through a series of TVnima broadcasts found on the V+R Challenge Web site.
With the exception of Episode 1, which is in Philippe’s native French-speaking voice with English subtitles, starting with Episode 2, Philippe’s TVnima broadcasts are made based on script he writes, yet they are vocally animated by a computer-generated English voice and include French subtitles. Philippe feels that this is a more international approach, allowing him to more easily stay in touch with everyone he encounters during his 10,000 kilometers run.
Episode 2 is my favorite so far because of Philippe’s video footage of the snow. There’s nothing “horror” about it, but the filming reminds me a little of The Blair Witch Project. You can watch all of Philippe’s V+R Challenge episodes, which will be regularly added over the next several months, at this link: http://share-vplusr.3ds.com/en/tvnima-journal/
I love this idea of athlete-to-sports-fan reporting. It’s a simpler model and has potential to increase fan loyalty because it provides closer proximity to athletes and teams.
Do you think this the future of sports broadcasting?
–Kate
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