Electronic sportswear on track for 2010

Dan Rogers - 09 Oct 2009

Sensing technology could be the talk of the 2012 Olympics following developments at Spanish research centre Cetemmsa.

The company is overseeing a number of R&D projects in the use of sensors in sportswear and accessories, some of which it is aiming to deliver to professional athletes in 2010.

Technology such as accelerometers that measure the speed of performance and impact could enter the professional domain in a year's time, says sports business development manager at Cetemmsa Stephan van Uijtregt.

He comments: 'We are looking at use in a tennis racquet, for instance, which could show how fast you serve and calculate the amount of impact, which would be integrated into the racquet itself.'

Early entry

Professional sports offers an early entry point for such technology, as athletes and teams are willing to pay the premium for such products, in order to aid performance analysis and to compete.

Notes van Uijtregt: 'If you look at the speed that can be achieved with new swimsuits, athletes saw the results and were happy to change their kit - they are prepared to pay more for better performance.'

The company is therefore keen to develop a range of electronics that can be integrated into products and clothing, which could appeal to athletes, including heart rate monitors, cooling technology and low-power lighting solutions, van Uijtregt adds.

He says: 'We have requests from sports manufacturers, professional sports organisations and federations and more materials manufacturers as well. The organisations we are working with are more European than global.

'Some of the things we are working on now will be used in 2012.'

Self-sufficient

The company, which is also working on integrated power sources for added electronic functionality - such as OPVs, as part of the EU-funded Dephotex project - could enter the consumer market, once an easy-to-use power source has been commercialised.

Says van Uijtregt: 'This should be in the consumer market in 2-5 years.

'The first consumer to aim for is the one who has the newest technology, the early adopters. The second wave of leisure and sportswear users, when the prices come down, is critical though.'

And wider consumer use will be reliant on the power sources being developed, such as Dephotex's OPVs, which are being optimised for commercial production after the project is completed in October 2011.

Remarks van Uijtregt: 'We need to make sure batteries and power sources can be charged quickly and don't need to be replaced frequently, as this sort of hassle quickly becomes a problem for the consumer.'