Feldspar Limited, a UK-based technology company, has announced the creation of the world’s first sensor-enabled performance running track. This innovation, set to revolutionize athletic performance and live sports entertainment, marks the first significant technological advancement in track and field running in nearly 60 years. The sensor-enabled track promises to provide an unparalleled immersive experience for live sports, positioning Feldspar at the forefront of modernizing athletic events and enhancing both athlete performance and spectator engagement.
For the first time, Feldspar’s performance running track will incorporate advanced sensors in addition to camera-based methods to directly measure the movement of athletes through their footsteps and stride to capture data in real-time, bringing new levels of precision in analysing running performance.
Feldspar’s next-generation modular sports flooring and tracking software solution will integrate patent-pending technologies and state-of-the-art materials into the track design, enabling a novel and unprecedented way of energy return and conversion*. This performance innovation will allow athletes to achieve a faster running speed compared to what is currently possible today and push the boundaries of human performance.
Offering complex and historically hard-to-access data, such as stride length, acceleration rate and max velocity in real-time, this technology has the potential to revolutionise the spectator experience at live sports events as well as to attract new enthusiasts who value innovative, visually captivating, and tech-driven premier sports entertainment.
To further enhance performance, Feldspar will also integrate an AI-powered data analytics tool and sports tracking software intended to redefine professional coaching and optimise training for athletes. This includes adjusting competition strategy before, during and after races, and identifying potential areas of injuries based on granular individual data and in-depth athlete profiles.
Alvina Chen, Founder and CEO of Feldspar stated, “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.”
Chen continued, “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.”
Chen attached, “Our ambition with our next generation running track is to set a new benchmark for athlete performance and fan engagement for future world competitions, including the Olympic Games, and beyond.”
Feldspar is working with the UK’s top engineers, industrial designers, and data scientists to develop the high-performance, premium running track prototype, with real-time testing set to begin later this year. Production of the flooring solution is expected to begin in 2025.
Founded by former professional track runner Alvina Chen, the inspiration to reinvent the running track struck during her international racing career.
The company has secured initial backing from Hong Kong-based investors which will be used to develop the high-performance running track prototype.
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* Feldspar’s performance flooring is intended to be able to convert significantly more of a runner’s energy from vertical to horizontal, which enables a faster running speed. It also has the potential to provide substantially higher energy return, compared to other commercially available sports flooring used in premier athletic competitions today. This is based on Feldspar’s modelling.
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