Escalating interdisciplinary research for advanced sports science and technology

Novel scientific and engineering solutions dedicated to sports development

Sports science and technology is an interdisciplinary area that integrates science, engineering, and design technology to solve sports-related problems. This area plays a vital role in athletes’ performance enhancement, public health promotion, injury prevention and recovery facilitation. Emerging technological solutions and innovation in the field of sports include carbonfibre racing shoes, “sharkskin” swimsuits and carbonfibre prostheses for amputee athletes.

Here at PolyU, we have the range of critical expertise needed for a world-class sports engineering platform, including musculoskeletal biomechanics, sports rehabilitation, health science, engineering and design, as well as textile and clothing. As such, the objective of RISports is to draw PolyU experts together and to collaborate with industry leaders and researchers to provide novel scientific and engineering solutions to the sports world.

“Our research will be directed towards sports-related products, services, and solutions tailored to different groups of people (e.g. elite athletes, the general population, persons with special needs); innovative sportswear, equipment, and solutions for a better sports experience; training and rehabilitation efficacy enhancements; and promotion of sports engagement and sports safety. With our research in four thematic areas—(1) Sports Biomechanics and Human-Product Interaction, (2) Sports Product Design, Materials and Manufacturing, (3) Sports Measurement, Feedbacks and Instrumentation, and (4) Sports Training and Rehabilitation—we hope to create a new level of sports experience and promote a high-quality and healthy lifestyle for all. Sports science and technology can make sports more interesting, rewarding and safer,” explained Ir Prof. Zhang Ming, Director of RISports and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at PolyU.

In fact, sports fans, athletes, and coaches have always been looking for ways to enhance their sports experience and performance. However, some sports products, technologies and interventions are empirically driven without scientific proof or true enhancement of sports performance, and are thus less sustainable and impactful in the market and for society. 

The research deliverables from RISports are distinctive in that they stress science-driven and evidence-based solutions for advancing sports technology. Prof. Zhang continued, “We have a truly dedicated interdisciplinary research team covering advanced, smart and sustainable materials; manufacturing technique and process; engineering (e.g. process, design, product, software, system); and human performance and related biomedical measurements and instrumentation.” By combining in-depth knowledge of sports and exercise performance, innovative ideas and advanced solutions, the Institute aims to help challenge the status quo of existing technologies and the limits of human performance. Our translational research is both consumer-centric and athlete-centric, and we will collaborate with sports institutes, sporting goods companies, government bodies and non-government organisations in and beyond Hong Kong.

Sports are for all people. Sports technology is no longer a privilege for professional athletes. By making exercise equipment more suitable for seniors and people with disabilities and by designing systems that are more attractive to children, sports technology addresses major concerns of public health and the ageing population and enables all people to engage in sports. When it comes to sports training and rehabilitation, multiple disciplines come into play and make significant contributions. For example, biomedical engineers study injury mechanisms and thus facilitate early detection of musculoskeletal fatigue and strategies for injury prevention, while rehabilitation science helps develop a smart system for self-evaluation and individualised solutions for safe sports participation in indoor and outdoor settings. Mindbody exercises, such as Tai Chi or Qigong, are used as rehabilitation and therapeutic interventions.

By leveraging PolyU’s strengths in rehabilitation science and engineering, RISports is working with the respective experts and scholars on sports technologies for persons with disabilities and special needs, including prostheses for amputees and orthotic devices for body function enhancement and musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

Cultivating sports talents is important for successful sports development. PolyU has a proud tradition of supporting elite student-athletes in achieving both sports and academic aspirations through the Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme (OSRS). RISports will work in line with university policies and nurture young researchers, research students and undergraduates with interdisciplinary knowledge and experience insports science and technology.

The newly established Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) marks the HKSAR government’s establishment of a sports sector to support local elite sports, maintain Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, and promote sports in the community through enhanced professionalism in sports and development of the sports industry. China also announced the National Plan on sports and fitness in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025). The nation aims to raise the percentage of the population who engage in regular physical activity to 38.5% and increase the scale of sports industry to generate an annual revenue of RMB 5 trillion by year 2025. These developments will definitely provide more opportunities for RISports, in particular, to attain its objective of encouraging the general public to participate in sports passionately and to exercise happily and safely.

25 years’ experience in sports science research: trends, significance and way forward

The demand for biomedical engineering (BME) expertise is continually increasing. We are now in an era with rapid emergence of new innovative technologies, and citizens and governments are devoting more attention to human health and ageing issues. BME bridges engineering technology and health/ medical care, and therefore should play an increasingly important role in the sports industry. 

During the current pandemic, the unprecedented challenges to public health and the associated social disruptions may stimulate people to develop solutions for prevention, diagnosis treatment and rehabilitation. 

Prof. Zhang’s research focuses on the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system and body support design, and applies to the fields of sports science, orthopaedics and rehabilitation engineering. “In the past 25 years, my team has been mainly working on the development of a biomechanical platform integrating experimental study with computational simulation for the understanding of the human musculoskeletal system and its support effects. Our computational simulation, using both a musculoskeletal model and a finite element model, can give a clear picture of the biomechanical performance of the foot and ankle and provide useful information for surgical intervention and shoe and orthosis design. This is a useful platform for understanding load transfer inside the body. Ultimately, our research on the body-support interface during sports and exercises can provide fundamental knowledge in body biomechanics to the field of sports science and technology,” said Prof. Zhang.