The Future Development Of Shoe Enterprises Needs A Sports Science Laboratory.

With the accelerated pace of internationalization of China's sports shoes industry, more and more local enterprises in China begin to build their own biomechanical laboratories to improve the research and development status and prepare for future development.

From the top foreign brands, whether an enterprise has its own biomechanical laboratory, its R & D is based on biomechanics and ultimately controlled.

The establishment of laboratory will enable enterprises to start objective function evaluation, reserve more research and Development Testing Talents and establish a perfect technology secret mechanism.

As early as 80s of last century, Nike and Adidas set up their own sports science laboratory, and began the systematic biomechanical development test and control.

The early concept of Sports Science Laboratory in China was Lining and Anta.

In 2005 and 2006, they introduced the testing system of European RSs can shoes laboratory, but Anta pioneered the establishment of its own sports science laboratory and made it public at the 2006 sports Expo.

Although other sports shoes enterprises in Jinjiang are also considering building their own sports laboratories, the overall understanding of the shoe sports testing system and the reasonable combination of them with the existing R & D process are still vague, because this field of expertise is really a strange field for Chinese people.

Because the past and present development models of Chinese sports shoes are different from those of other countries, it is a revolutionary process to promote the professional and functional R & D level by using biomechanical laboratories.

What is a sports science laboratory?

In the research and development chain of foreign shoe enterprises, sports science laboratory mainly focuses on R & D sample evaluation and control, and also participates in some new functional concept generation and technical marketing plan design.

The laboratory used various equipment (biomechanics) to conduct a systematic motion test analysis of the exercisers to evaluate and compare the performance of the shoes they used.

At present, the most basic part of the top brand biomechanical testing system is the flat foot pressure distribution test system. It is the most practical and fast feedback system in the sports science laboratory, and is the most closely integrated with product research and application.

Next is the dynamometer, the shoe pressure distribution test system and the image analysis system.

The development of plantar pressure test and analysis system also has its own history: in the 80s of last century, Jempi, President of RS, became a technical consultant of Adidas. Later, Jempi and Adidas studied the movements of tens of thousands of people in various continents around the world, and developed running shoes for different functions of different groups.

So Adidas began experimenting with plantar pressure distribution devices to test runners and suggested running shoes suitable for this person.

At first, Jempi and Adidas used the American system. However, due to the strong test intensity of running, the instrument was scrapped in a few weeks.

Later, Jempi used Belgian IE technology to help Adidas develop the classic footscan plantar pressure distribution test system, and gradually began to use in the biomechanical R & D laboratory.

Nowadays, many systems have been used in Adidas for more than ten years, and they are still in service.

The footscan system has also become a trademark brand jointly owned by RSscan and Adidas.

Later, Nike began to use footscan in its sports science laboratory to do research and development, but never did any publicity because of the close relationship between footscan brand and Adidas.

Now, plantar pressure distribution system has become an indispensable basic system for many top brands in core technology development, professional shoe research and development, and technology marketing.

The world's top authority sports shoe R & D laboratories use the plantar pressure distribution test system for product design evaluation all the year round.

At the initial stage, Adidas started using the foot pressure system with 4 sensors per square centimeter with a sampling frequency of up to 300Hz. Although the sampling frequency of the footscan system has reached 1000Hz (the higher the sampling frequency can record the true movement details), Jem PI now only sets the sampling frequency of the system at 500Hz, because most shoe R & D laboratories have been accustomed to the test of 500Hz, and have formed many standards and habits.

The dynamometer is an ancient biomechanical testing instrument. It can get three directions of force at each step. It can be combined with the plantar pressure distribution plate and can analyze more details of the force of the shoe. It is best to make the measuring platform according to the size of the foot pressure distribution plate.

High end brand labs usually have two kinds of dynamometer: one is sensitive to instant impact, one is sensitive to gait and continuous motion.

The pressure distribution system in shoes is usually applied to the design of shoes and the comfort evaluation of various brands. Due to the special relationship between the size of the foot and the relative size of the stud, 300 to 400 sensors are placed in each shoe for testing and 500Hz sampling is used.

Image analysis system is also a traditional instrument for shoe research and development.

By analyzing the motion characteristics of shoes and limbs, the laboratory decided to analyze the functional differences of different shoes and their effects on human movement.

Simple image analysis systems are generally used for quick feedback and provide reference to designers. Complex systems are generally used for basic research and marketing.

In addition, various basic mechanical tests can be used to assist biomechanical evaluation.

Where is the sports lab located in the R & D process?

Foreign brands usually conduct mechanical tests and biomechanical tests in the form of shoes or in the functional design stage.

The purpose of biomechanical testing is to evaluate the rationality of the design and provide the basis for improving the design.

So if the biomechanical test is placed after mass production or after the sample is confirmed, it will have no meaning.

At present, Chinese enterprises are unable to apply biomechanical tests to basic research, technical marketing, and core technology design. Due to the lack of functional professional design experience, the current functions of biomechanical laboratories should be focused on the evaluation of wear resistance and comfort performance of sample shoes.

The Biomechanics Lab is not far from China's sports shoe enterprises, but the real R & D management and training of professionals need all the efforts of all sides.

I hope to see a truly modern biomechanical laboratory and scientific R & D process and research and development elite team in China one day.