Sports Applications Research Articles

Multimodal E-Textile Enabled by One-Step Maskless Patterning of Femtosecond-Laser-Induced Graphene on Nonwoven, Knit, and Woven Textiles.

Personal wearable devices are considered important in advanced healthcare, military, and sports applications. Among them, e-textiles are the best candidates because of their intrinsic conformability without any additional device installation. However, e-textile manufacturing to date has a high process complexity and low design flexibility. Here, we report the direct laser writing of e-textiles by converting raw Kevlar textiles to electrically conductive laser-induced graphene (LIG) via femtosecond laser pulses in ambient air. The resulting LIG has high electrical conductivity and chemical reliability with a low sheet resistance of 2.86 Ω/□. Wearable multimodal e-textile sensors and supercapacitors are realized on different types of Kevlar textiles, including nonwoven, knit, and woven structures, by considering their structural textile characteristics. The nonwoven textile exhibits high mechanical stability, making it suitable for applications in temperature sensors and micro-supercapacitors. On the other hand, the knit textile possesses inherent spring-like stretchability, enabling its use in the fabrication of strain sensors for human motion detection. Additionally, the woven textile offers special sensitive pressure-sensing networks between the warp and weft parts, making it suitable for the fabrication of bending sensors used in detecting human voices. This direct laser synthesis of arbitrarily patterned LIGs from various textile structures could result in the facile realization of wearable electronic sensors and energy storage.

Direction and distance dependency of reaching movements of lower limb.

Efficient body movement is required in our daily lives, as it facilitates responding to the external environment and producing movements in various directions and distances. While numerous studies have reported on goal-directed movements in the frontal direction during gait initiation, there is limited research on the efficient movement of the lower limbs in multiple directions and distances. Therefore, we aimed to examine changes in the kinematics of lower-limb reaching movements to determine skilled motor ability in terms of direction and distance. Sixteen adults (10 male participants) were requested to reach targets projected on the floor in seven directions and at three distances for a total of 21 points. The reaching time slowed down for the contralateral side (right foot to left-sided target) and was caused by a slower start of the toe movement. To identify the cause of this delay, we analyzed the onset of movement at each joint and found that movement to the contralateral side starts from the hip, followed by the knee, and subsequently the toe. The time-to-peak velocity was also calculated, and the motion required to reach the target in the shortest time varied depending on direction and distance. These results suggested that movement kinematics vary with direction and distance, resulting in a slower reaching time on the contralateral side. The results of our study hold promise for potential applications in sports and rehabilitation.

On the effect of the poisson’s ratio on samples subjected to shearing

The effect of shearing on finite-sized auxetic and non-auxetic samples was examined through finite element simulations. It was shown that when shear was applied in a manner representative of a common shear-testing setup, which is not dissimilar to the situation encountered in sports applications, auxetics manifested very different characteristics compared to their non-auxetic counterparts; with very pronounced edge effects. These included extensive lateral expansion of the samples and the formation of non-insignificant concave creases on their exposed lateral faces. It was shown that these creases became even more pronounced when the samples were subjected to combined shear and compressive loads and need to be taken into consideration when assessing the suitability, or otherwise, of auxetics for practical applications where shear loading may be present to a certain extent.

Time and Its Measure: Historical and Social Implications

Time and frequency are quantities that have seen a proliferation and diffusion of tools, unimaginable until a few decades ago, and whose application implications are multiplying in a digital society, now characterized by an absolute lack of temporal and spatial limits. Today’s world requires a perfect synchronism of human activities, both for the need to identify with certainty the moment of commercial transactions and to accurately describe biological phenomenologies, which affect the social life of individuals to the point of having repercussions on issues such as safety, production and manufacturing organization. In this regard, the recent award of the Nobel Prize for Medicine for the discovery of the gene capable of controlling our internal biological clock is significant. This paper describes the social implications connected to time measurements, analyzing some very original application effects, ranging from the typical cadences of production activities to sports applications, going so far as to highlight its apparent anomaly of adopting, unlike all other physical quantities, duodecimal and/or sexagesimal scales. Real time and perceived time can both converge and diverge, and this is almost never objectifiable, as it varies from individual to individual, according to individual experiences or sensitivities. This paper is a point of reflection attempting to understand how the chronology of major historical events influenced the organization of time as it is known today and how we arrived at actual measuring instruments so accurate and interconnected with the social sphere. The evolution of calendars and instruments for measuring relative time is described in terms of their specificity.

Fast-response and durable liquid metal wire for wearable electronics

This work presents a strain sensor which is based on high ductility liquid metal coated on traditional commercial lastex yarns with a unique spiral wound structure. The prepared sensor exhibits exceptional flexibility, elasticity, softness of 0.23 N at 100% tensile strain. It is lightweight, weighing only 1 g/m, and boasts a low cost of less than 1 dollar. The sensor has the ability to detect both static and dynamic in-plane tension and normal pressure. It showcases remarkable sensing characteristics of good sensitivity (0.82 for tension, 12.6 N−1 for pressure), extraordinary linearity within 10–100% strain range with goodness-of-fit value over 0.997, rapid response of less than 10 ms, high resolution spanning up to 0.3%, and high durability over 100,000 repetitive cycles. A smart glove based on the proposed strain sensors achieves gesture recognitions using machine learning technique, with an accuracy of 100%. The outstanding performance of this sensor highlights its potential as an affordable and advanced candidate for wearable electronics, which can have wide-ranging applications in sports, healthcare, entertainment, education, and industry.

Synergistic effect of compatibilized nanoclay/polyethylene fibers on the impact strength of epoxy‐glass fiber nanocomposites

AbstractEpoxy‐based glass fiber nanocomposites (EGFCs) have good static mechanical properties but lack in impact strength. Addition of thermoplastic fillers to EGFCs enhanced the impact strength but with lowered static properties. To overcome this issue, compatibilized polyethylene (PE) fibers and silanized clay platelets were reinforced in the EGFCs. The unique properties of PE fibers such as good toughness, high strength, resistance to chemicals, and light‐weight made them an ideal choice for this purpose. EGFCs were processed through vacuum‐assisted resin infusion molding (VARIM) technique and resulted in significant improvements in an impact strength. Compatibilization of nanoclay/PE fibers was confirmed using FTIR and SEM‐EDS analysis. Nanoclay morphology in EGFCs was determined using XRD and TEM analysis. Reinforcement of maleic anhydride grafted PE fibers and silanized nanoclay in EGFCs significantly increased the impact strength by160% over the reference EGFC (without nanoclay/PE fibers). FE‐SEM micrographs showed improved interfacial interaction among various constituents of EGFCs resulting in superior mechanical performance. The newly developed EGFCs have myriad applications in various industries, namely, automotive (bumpers, frames for racing bicycles etc.), marine (hulls, decks, etc.), aviation (radome, stabilizers, etc.), and sports (archery bows, vault poles, etc.).Highlights Multi‐scale filler‐reinforced EGFCs fabricated through VARIM process. Compatibilized reinforcement significantly improved impact strength. Silanization of nanoclay validated with FTIR & morphology with XRD/TEM technique. SEM‐EDS and FTIR confirmed successful compatibilization of PE fibers. SEM showed improved interfacial interaction among various constituents of EGFCs.

Theoretical and practical research on orienteering and experiential sports applications in higher education physical education teaching

This paper aims to explore the theoretical and practical research on targeted and experiential sports applications in higher education physical education teaching. Research purpose: to propose effective teaching strategies and methods for higher education physical education, so as to promote the comprehensive development of students' physical fitness and sports abilities. Research method: This study employs a combination of literature analysis and empirical research. Research findings: The application of targeted and experiential sports in higher education physical education has a significant impact on enhancing students' overall physical fitness and sports abilities. Research conclusion: Promoting targeted and experiential sports in higher education physical education requires proper curriculum design and organization, student training and guidance, as well as strict safety management and risk control.

Beden Eğitimi ve Sporda Yapay Zeka: ChatGPT ile Yeni Ufuklar

While the rapid advancement of technology broadens the application areas of artificial intelligence applications, NLP technologies such as ChatGPT, which can construct a natural and fluent discourse with humans, are gaining popularity. ChatGPT imitates real-life discussions with its powerful algorithms, providing users with a more dynamic and efficient communication experience. With the increased usage of artificial intelligence technology in a variety of sectors, the potential for application in physical education and sports has begun to get attention. In this context, the research intends to explore ChatGPT's potential for application in physical education and sports, as well as its potential contributions to the field's future and use problems. In the study, interviews were employed to obtain data. The questions prepared in accordance with the purpose of the study were directed to ChatGPT by the researcher and the answers of ChatGPT were recorded. As a result of the study, it has emerged that ChatGPT can be used in many areas such as creating personalized training programs in the field of physical education and sports, analyzing the performance of athletes, summarizing and reporting sports events. It has been determined that physical education teachers can provide a more effective learning experience by communicating with ChatGPT about students' interactive lesson plans, exercise programs, training methods, and health and nutrition. It was determined that ChatGPT might have a significant effect on the future of physical education and sport. Furthermore, ChatGPT has been discovered to have negative elements such as over-reliance on technology, inaccuracy of information, technological issues, and ethical concerns. The study provides recommendations on how ChatGPT might be utilized in the field of physical education and sports, and it is intended to lay the groundwork for future research.

Classification of Human Motion Data Based on Inertial Measurement Units in Sports: A Scoping Review

Inertial measurement units (IMU) are widely used in sports applications to digitise human motion by measuring acceleration and rotational velocity in three-dimensional space. A common machine learning problem is the classification of human motion primitives from IMU data. In order to investigate the classification methods used in the existing literature and to analyse whether and how the time-dependent data structure is considered in the classification process of motion data analysis in sports, a scoping review was conducted. Based on a keyword search, articles from 2010 to 2021 were extracted, and 93 articles were relevant for data extraction. Over- and undersampling of data and data augmentation techniques were rarely used. The classification methods applied can be divided into three main branches: classic machine learning and deep learning models, threshold-based approaches, and dynamic time warping. The most often applied algorithms were support vector machines (SVM), followed by neural networks and k-nearest neighbours. In comparative works, when more than one classifier was applied, random forests, neural networks, boosting models and SVM were found to be the methods that achieved the highest accuracy. If the time-dependent data structure was taken into account, it was incorporated either within the models, for example, by using long-short-term memory models or within the feature calculation step by using rolling windows with an overlap, which was the most common method of considering the time dependency of the IMU data.

Conversion of Polypropylene (PP) Foams into Auxetic Metamaterials

In this work, a simple and environmentally friendly process combining low pressure (vacuum) and mechanical compression is proposed to convert recycled polypropylene (PP) foams (28 kg/m3) into low density foams (90–131 kg/m3) having negative tensile and compressive Poisson’s ratios (NPR). The main objective of the work was to determine the effect of processing conditions (vacuum time, temperature and mechanical pressure). Based on the optimized conditions, the tensile Poisson’s ratio of the resulting auxetic foams reached −1.50, while the minimum compressive Poisson’s ratio was −0.32 for the same sample. The foam structure was characterized via morphological analysis (SEM) to determine any changes related to the treatment applied. Finally, the tensile and compressive properties (Young’s modulus, strain energy, energy dissipation and damping capacity) are also presented and discussed. It was observed that the mechanical properties of the resulting auxetic foams were improved compared to the original PP foam (PP-O) for all tensile properties in terms of modulus (19.9 to 59.8 kPa), strength (0.298 to 1.43 kPa) elongation at break (28 to 77%), energy dissipation (14.4 to 56.3 mJ/cm3) and damping capacity (12 to 19%). Nevertheless, improvements were also observed under compression in terms of the energy dissipation (1.6 to 3.6 mJ/cm3) and the damping capacity (13 to 19%). These auxetic foams can find applications in sport and military protective equipment, as well as any energy mitigation system.

Biodegradable Polylactic Acid and Its Composites: Characteristics, Processing, and Sustainable Applications in Sports.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polyester polymer that is produced from renewable resources, such as corn or other carbohydrate sources. However, its poor toughness limits its commercialization. PLA composites can meet the growing performance needs of various fields, but limited research has focused on their sustainable applications in sports. This paper reviews the latest research on PLA and its composites by describing the characteristics, production, degradation process, and the latest modification methods of PLA. Then, it discusses the inherent advantages of PLA composites and expounds on different biodegradable materials and their relationship with the properties of PLA composites. Finally, the importance and application prospects of PLA composites in the field of sports are emphasized. Although PLA composites mixed with natural biomass materials have not been mass produced, they are expected to be sustainable materials used in various industries because of their simple process, nontoxicity, biodegradability, and low cost.

Comparison of acceleration-speed profiles from training and competition to individual maximal sprint efforts

This study aimed to (1) compare “in-situ” monitored acceleration-speed (ASin-situ) profile metrics from training/competition data in elite female soccer players to similar metrics from profiles developed from isolated maximal sprint efforts (ASsprint) and; (2) compare the confidence interval (CI) and a Tukey boxplot (BP) outlier removal technique on the training/competition data to derive ASin-situ profiles. Fifteen national team soccer players participated in a 4-week camp while wearing 10 Hz GNSS units. Towards the middle of the camp, 2 × 40 m isolated maximal sprints were performed. ASin-situ profiles (theoretical maximum acceleration A0 in m∙s−2 and speed S0 in m∙s−1) were computed using the CI and BP techniques with training/competition data. The sprint data were modelled separately to construct horizontal force–velocity (FV) profiles, from which ASsprint profiles were derived. Bland-Altman analysis was used to assess agreement between the CI- and BP-derived ASin-situ profiles to the ASsprint profiles, as well as regression analysis for systematic and proportional bias. Additionally, 1-way ANOVAs with Tukey posthoc compared the metrics between each method of analysis. Using the BP method, good agreement of the ASin-situ with ASsprint profile metrics A0/S0 was displayed, whereas good to moderate agreement was shown for the CI. The CI technique showed a proportional bias for A0/S0. Good to excellent intertrial reliability was demonstrated for isolated sprint metrics. Both BP and CI techniques provided comparable ASin-situ profiles to ASsprint profiles. This current research demonstrated that ASin-situ profiling is applicable in elite women’s soccer and will have further application in many team sports.

Cognitive Mastery in Sports: Exploring Cognitive Psychology's Influence

This article delves into the pivotal role of cognitive psychology in sports, illuminating its profound impact on athletes' performance. Over a comprehensive survey of literature spanning the past decade, this review synthesizes key developments and applications of cognitive psychology in the athletic domain. Utilizing databases such as PubMed, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and SportDiscus, the study employs a meticulous selection process, focusing on peer-reviewed articles that significantly contribute to the understanding of cognitive training, assessment, and rehabilitation in sports. The review explores diverse facets of cognitive psychology in sports, including the theoretical underpinnings of cognitive functions, innovative cognitive training interventions, and the crucial role of mental processes in injury recovery. It presents an analysis of the effectiveness of various cognitive strategies in enhancing athletic performance and resilience. Additionally, it addresses the challenges and potential future directions of cognitive psychology applications in sports. This article aims to bridge the gap between cognitive psychological theory and practical sports applications, offering insights for athletes, coaches, and sports psychologists. By highlighting the symbiotic relationship between the mind and athletic prowess, "The Mind Game" underscores the transformative potential of cognitive psychology in elevating sports performance to new heights.

Application of Multiple Linear Regression Model in the Sustainable Development of National Traditional Sports

Abstract To understand the multiple linear regression model, the author proposed research on the application of national traditional sports in sustainable development. The author takes the undergraduate course on sustainable development of ethnic traditional sports in Guangxi universities as the research object. The author investigated and studied the current situation of the cultivation of undergraduate students of ethnic traditional sports in Guangxi universities through the methods of literature, questionnaire, expert interview, mathematical statistics, logical analysis, and comparative analysis. The research results show that the main factors that affect the cultivation of undergraduates majoring in traditional national sports include the source of students, the conditions for running a school, and the teaching materials. (1) Guangxi Normal University students majoring in traditional ethnic sports are mainly from senior high schools, this type of students has a good cultural foundation, but poor technical level; Secondly, the students of this major have a poor English foundation, but good computer skills; In addition, the employment intention of students in this major is diversified; (2) The conditions of teachers in Guangxi Normal University’s National Traditional Physical Education College can meet the requirements of this major, however, the lack of qualifications and experience of teachers has affected the quality of school running; The teaching environment is good, and the teaching facilities can meet the student’s learning requirements.

운동 앱의 감성 체험 향상을 위한 UI 디자인 연구

With the development of interactive application technology and the Chinese government's emphasis on sports, the use of sports applications by Chinese is also increasing. However, a large number of fitness APPs have emerged in the market at present, with serious homogenization phenomenon, resulting in the reduction the emotional experience of users. Therefore, this paper focused on extracting the basic elements of the UI design of the Sports APP from the perspective of emotional design, aiming to explore the influence and relationship between it and the user's re-use intention. In order to achieve this goal, this paper summarized the UI design of visual elements of Sports APP through the prior study, and then through the case analysis, questionnaire survey, data analysis to verify the influence of visual elements (color, layout, graphics) on functional elements (perception of ease of use, perception of usefulness) and emotional elements (re-use intention) of the UI design of Sports APP from theoretical and empirical aspects.The analysis results showed that the sensory elements of UI design of fitness APP will have more or less impact on the users 'perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, and the perceived accessibility and usefulness will positively affect the users' willingness to continuously use the APP.Therefore, this study has reference value for the research on “the improvement of UI design of Sports APP” and “the emotional experience of users using Sports APP”.

Immersive Horizons: Exploring the Transformative Power of Virtual Reality Across Economic Sectors

The scholarly discourse surrounding the manifold advantages, applications, and limitations of implementing Virtual Reality (VR) in the contemporary milieu has burgeoned over time. VR holds immense potential, attracting fervent interest from governmental and private entities alike. Nevertheless, the existing body of literature pertaining to the expanding utilization of VR in diverse economic sectors remains scant. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to furnish a comprehensive literature review encompassing VR applications across various economic domains while elucidating concerns surrounding its integration within engineering education. A total of 108 publications were extracted from prominent databases such as Scopus, Elsevier, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, with a subsequent review of 51 relevant works. These scrutinized journals were published between 2015 and 2022 and were predominantly authored in English. The reviewed publications encompassed VR applications in education, robotics, healthcare, transportation, sports, agriculture, governance, security, and media. The study’s findings unveiled significant advancements in VR implementation within engineering education, medical training, cognitive augmentation, aircraft assembly, governance, and diverse other spheres. Notwithstanding these achievements, impediments to VR deployment were identified, stemming from financial exigencies, cultural and conventional norms, with scant evidence of VR’s prevalence in underdeveloped nations, given that all the assessed research originated from developed economies. Additionally, the limitations of this review encompassed a small sample size and a narrowly focused demographic in the examined articles. Nevertheless, despite these constraints, the research highlights substantial progress in VR utilization over the preceding decade.

Sine-based lattice plates: additive manufacturing and their mechanical properties when loaded out of plane

PurposeDemanding applications could benefit from the mathematical parametrization of lattice structures as this could lead not only to the characterization of structure–property relation but also facilitates the tailoring of the effective mechanical properties. This paper aims to characterize the mechanical performance of sine-based lattices. The characterization includes the results of in-plane Poisson’s ratio plates models, and the stiffness of additively manufactured lattice plates when loaded in the out-of-plane direction, with the objective of obtaining a relation with their geometrical parameters.Design/methodology/approachThe geometrical parameter–Poisson’s ratio relationship was characterized via finite element (FE) simulations. The stiffness was also measured on additively manufactured polylactic acid lattice plates and contrasted with FE computations.FindingsThe characterization of auxetic lattice plates performed using in-plane and out-of-plane loading leads to key properties when deciding the geometry specific for applications: relative density, auxetic behavior and stiffness. Approximately 26% reduction of stiffness was observed between the square lattice and sine-based lattices of the same volume fraction.Originality/valueAuxetic metamaterials are potential candidates for applications in biomedical engineering, smart sensors, sports and soft robotics. This paper aims to contribute to the existing gap in the study of auxetic metamaterials subjected to complex loading conditions, other than simple tension and compression, required for the mentioned applications.

Unified platform for storing, retrieving, and analysing biomechanical applications data using graph database

Sensors and smart equipment are frequently used in biomechanical systems and applications in sports and rehabilitation to measure various physical quantities. Various sensors, measuring different parameters, can produce a large amount of data at high speeds and volumes that must be stored for real-time or post-processing and analysis. In addition to sensor data, metadata is an important component and can vary between biomechanical applications. Currently however, each application typically has its own unique data flow and storage solution. In this research, we present a universal data model solution that can be applied to any sensor-based biomechanical application in sport and physical rehabilitation. Our proposed cloud platform architecture allows for the manipulation of sensor data and metadata using a combination of Big Data and conventional techniques. The main idea of this research is to develop a platform that allows a universal way for any biomechanical application to handle its data regardless of the type of data and metadata. This is achieved by creating a universal data model, and implementing this data model in a generalized architecture using a graph database. We demonstrate the benefits of this approach using examples from existing biomechanical systems and describe the development of the cloud platform architecture and the underlying data model. We also provide an example of the use of this platform in a sport shooting application. This approach is unique in that it allows data from different sources and applications to be stored and processed using the same procedures and techniques, facilitating data analysis and application development. We envision this system will expand to multiple different biomechanical applications in the future. We expect that in time, the ability to compare various data and store different biomechanical datasets will become necessity. With the advantages of modern recommender systems and utilization of artificial intelligence, huge amounts of relevant and well-prepared data with useful metadata are required thus having such system is an important advantage for future biomechanical systems development. With the increase of people’s awareness and usage of devices that increase well-being and quality of life, presented platform and similar systems will play a pivotal role in shaping the future lifestyle.

Research Progress in Intelligent Exercise Monitoring Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerator

The coming of the 5G era in the Internet of Things (IoT) opens progress in cross-sectoral research in multiple disciplines. All physiological indicators of the human body are collected through sensors to provide new ideas for developing innovative sports, wearable devices, and modern intelligent venues for IoT. Conventional sensors require an external power source and have a limited lifespan and maintenance cost. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), a new self-powered sensing technology that collects mechanical energy from bodily motions, can break through these limitations and be used in intelligent sports applications. Firstly, TENG can capture kinematic, biochemical, electrophysiological, and tissue dynamics information from the human body. Secondly, the low-frequency mechanical energy of the human body is not only physiological information but can also be used to power microelectronic devices to transmit big data in sports. In conclusion, we discuss TENG-based wearable sensing systems’ challenges and future opportunities.

Computer Vision Solutions for Range of Motion Assessment

Joint range of motion (ROM) is an important indicator of physical functionality and musculoskeletal health. In sports, athletes require adequate levels of joint mobility to minimize the risk of injuries and maximize performance, while in rehabilitation, restoring joint ROM is essential for faster recovery and improved physical function. Traditional methods for measuring ROM include goniometry, inclinometry and visual estimation; all of which are limited in accuracy due to the subjective nature of the assessment. With the rapid development of technology, new systems based on computer vision are continuously introduced as a possible solution for more objective and accurate measurements of the range of motion. Therefore, this article aimed to evaluate novel computer vision-based systems based on their accuracy and practical applicability for a range of motion assessment. The review covers a variety of systems, including motion-capture systems (2D and 3D cameras), RGB-Depth cameras, commercial software systems and smartphone apps. Furthermore, this article also highlights the potential limitations of these systems and explores their potential future applications in sports and rehabilitation.