How the world's first sensor-enabled running track is set to redefine athletic performance
The running track is often considered a simple set up – you run round and round at speed in a raw, stripped back fashion.
But now the track is getting an upgrade.
Feldspar, a UK-based technology company, has today announced that it is creating the world’s first-ever sensor-enabled performance running track, which will transform the traditional oval running circuit into an intelligent, analytical and visually-enticing training venue.
The interactive track will incorporate advanced sensors as well as camera-based methods to capture athletes’ footsteps, measuring key aspects of running performance such as acceleration rate, stride length and maximum velocity in real-time. Thanks to the integration of an AI-powered data analytics tool and sports tracking software, the track also aims to deliver more in-depth athlete profiles and identify potential injury risks.
As such, it will bring a new layer of precision to performance analysis and enable athletes and coaches alike to refine training and race day strategies, dial into areas for improvement and make those all-important marginal gains.
According to Feldspar’s modelling, the materials used for the new track also promise greater energy return compared with other commercially available running tracks. It is intended to convert more of an athlete’s energy from vertical to horizontal, helping them to hit those faster speeds.
Testing of the track prototype – developed in collaboration with leading engineers, industrial designers and data scientists from the UK – is set to begin later this year, with production expected to begin in 2025.
But if this track is to make the cut in the world of elite-level sport, athletes and coaches won’t be the only ones involved. Spectators, too, will want to be in on the fast-paced running action.
With athletes’ analytics displaying as they happen on the track, spectators will be able to see, understand and appreciate the speed at which runners are travelling, as well as their bodily movements and overall race position.
Just as events like the Night of the 10,000m PB’s have helped to turn track running into popcorn-worthy live entertainment, Feldspar hopes that its own sensor-enabled track will create an exciting, tech-driven spectator experience.
Alvina Chen, founder and CEO of Feldspar and a former professional track runner, was inspired to reinvent the running track during her international athletics career and is motivated, too, by the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. ‘While we have seen a high level of innovation in running shoes, apparel and training methods in recent years, it’s incredible that the modern synthetic running track itself has remained largely unchanged since the 1968 Summer Olympics,’ she notes.
‘There is a huge opportunity in revolutionising this sport. By digitising the running track, Feldspar is not only providing new avenues for athletes’ development and pushing the boundaries of human performance, but also moving athletics towards a new era of exhilarating, high-energy live international events, similar to what we see in other sports like football and motorsports.’
Combining dynamic flooring with the analytical power of AI, Feldspar’s product will mark the first major technological upgrade to the running track in almost 60 years – and it’s poised to pave the way, quite literally, to an immersive new live sports experience, too.
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