In many sports, the marginal gains are everything. One one-hundredth of a second can separate gold from silver, proving that even the smallest technological advances can be immediately impactful. Therefore, the sports equipment market is very competitive and traditionally an early adopter of new technologies.

New materials are a main contributor in this dynamic, industrial environment where the timeframe for adaptation and implementation of new technologies is fast-paced and challenging. Often, new materials and devices will first be seen in the sports industry before they appear in other markets, like aerospace or automotive.

With new products and processes being so quickly developed, adopted, validated, and implemented, the survival rate of these products and processes is usually fairly limited; products and processes will very soon be replaced by the next generation. Under this highly dynamic development cycle, it is crucial to understand the technology’s impact on not only performance, but on safety and fairness as well. Furthermore, equipment and garments with integrated electronics for smart sensing and information transmission are rapidly making inroads in the sports industry. The equipment will monitor performance during training for both the athlete’s and the coach’s benefit and delivers unique and original information to the spectator to enhance their viewing experience.

One of the key features of RESEC is the use of digital and virtual technologies to advance designs and provide predictive performance. Ultimately, these techniques will enable the RESEC team to move through multiple design iterations more efficiently and provide cost-effective product improvement over time.