What Do Engineers Do?
Sports Engineering
Sports engineering is the application of engineering principles (mechanical engineering, fluid/aerodynamics, and biomechanical engineering) to design and optimize the equipment and/or facilities athletes use; analyze and improve athletic techniques and performance; and reduce injuries through improved techniques or equipment.
Engineering graduates interested in sports engineering can apply directly to a sporting goods manufacturer or sporting organization or stay at a university to conduct sports research or work toward a higher degree. The U.S. Olympics Committee and other sports groups are funding some of the research at universities.
Virtually every sport has benefited from engineering enhancements. Sports engineers use their background in areas to do such things as:
- understand the mechanics of tennis ball bounce;
- optimize the hull of a racing yacht;
- develop a new surface for a sports court that improves performance or reduces injuries;
- understand the relationship between foot placement and accuracy of kicks in soccer;
- apply damping technology in tennis rackets to reduce tennis elbow;
- understand the musculoskeletal work involved in gymnastics to improve performance and reduce injuries;
- improve the suspension system of a formula 1 racing car;
- use computational fluid dynamics to analyze swimming strokes and modify technique for faster times; and
- design and manufacture high performance golf clubs.
Sports is big business in the United States and around the world. In the U.S. alone, the sporting goods industry is valued at $50 billion annually, and it's heavily dependent on the development of new products that enhance performance and increase safety. Engineering breakthroughs have had a significant impact on a wide range of sporting equipment-from bindings on skis to golf clubs, baseball bats, race cars, exercise equipment, and much more.
Meet the JETS Extreme Engineer
Read the PE Times issue
October 2006, Issue #51
Related Links
International Sports Engineering Association
University of California, Davis—Sports Biomechanics Lab
MIT Center for Sports Innovation
High Tech Hot Shots: Careers in Sports Engineering
Journal of Biomechanics
|
