Sports are not about physics and mechanics alone. Recently, athletes have begun to seek a balance between high stiffness, efficient energy transfer, feel, and control. For example, feeling the impact of a ball on a racket or the vibration of skis going downhill allows the athlete to obtain improved control of the equipment and his/her body movements. Feel and control is an individual and often very subjective performance parameter.

Tailoring the dynamic properties of materials/equipment to align with the brain response, perceptual reactions, and cognitive skills of the athletes is increasingly important. Merging this information with 3D-printing technology opens possibilities for individually designed and optimized equipment that elevates the athlete’s performance.

Additionally, all technologies developed for traditional sports can be applied in para-sports, with an emphasis on adaptive equipment. Thus, the use of smart devices and unique material characteristics enables all athletes to experience sports at a higher level.