Excellent research, didactically and technically high-quality teaching: The method seminar "Sports Technology" of the Chair of Sports Equipment and Materials Link of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Link combines the interactive outdoor teaching form once per semester with a series of experiments in the Bavarian Alps. The goal of the excursion: Students work on scientific questions from the field of sports engineering and test measuring devices and prototypes in practical tests based on scientific methodology with regard to functionality and safety. They take into account material characteristics, ergonomics and biomechanical parameters as well as their subjective evaluations. This year's winter teaching event focused on the development of a mechatronic ski binding for better protection against knee injuries in alpine skiing.
Text: Cornelia Freund, Images: Tobias Hase
Motivations: methods and measurement procedures
The students sets to work calmly and with concentration. Each person knows his or her task. The 14 participants in the "Sports Technology" methods seminar are spread out over five research projects that were presented in the two sessions beforehand. Now the groups go about preparing materials and measuring equipment, which they have brought via cable car transport to the mountain hut - the base camp of the young researchers for the time of the practical test.
From Bachelor's students in mechanical engineering to Master's students in medical engineering, from Jena to China, they are united by one goal for two days: they will practically apply and critically evaluate methods and measurement procedures to solve typical problems in the field of sports engineering. Finally, after the outdoor field research in the Garmisch ski area, they should be able to develop, prepare and present concrete scientific approaches to generally formulated problems.
Klara (name changed; editor's note) puts on the wired functional underpants. Sensors later measure the skier's kinetic, kinematic and physiological parameters and use them to determine the probability of injury. Meanwhile, Valentin checks his measuring equipment: The electrodes integrated into the ski underpants record the muscle activity of his thighs when he makes turns on the slope. Next door, notebooks, measuring devices, smartphones, walkie-talkies and an action cam are unpacked and prepared. In addition to the high-tech instruments, other working tools include a wooden board for calibrating the inertial sensors and a paper pad for logging the test runs. Only the right mix of digital and analog recording ensures reliable results.
The mission: mechatronic ski binding
More than one third of all injuries in alpine skiing affect the knee. In addition to lifelong mobility problems and pain for those affected, costs are incurred due to operations, rehabilitation, loss of working hours and secondary diseases. Prof. Veit Senner is working on how knee injuries in skiing can be prevented. His team, led by Aljoscha Hermann, is investigating the forces acting on the cruciate ligaments during skiing: "Four important variables determine the risk of injury: the knee flexion angle, the loads on the foot or binding, the muscle activity and the skiing speed. For example, a knee flexion angle of less than 30 and more than 60 degrees increases the risk of injury."
Hermann is tinkering with a mechatronic ski binding that captures these four variables. When measured in real time, they allow conclusions to be drawn about the complex physiological and biomechanical mechanisms of skiing. "The sensors in the ski clothing analyze motion sequences of the skier:inside, the position of the body and muscle activity. From this, they determine a likelihood of injury and figure out when safety systems need to respond. Ideally, they are wearable, easy to use and robust in the alpine environment - a typical wearable, in other words, a computer system integrated into clothing that measures body functions and analyzes the data obtained."
In today's series of experiments, the students are working with researchers to examine knee flexion angle while skiing. They are using "smart ski pants" that measure knee angle. If these pants are used in combination with a mechatronic ski binding, they allow dangerous situations to be detected while skiing and the binding can be triggered in time.
The trend toward digitalization is also helping to make mechatronic systems feasible in sports from a technological and economic perspective. "The intelligent ski binding of the future collects and interprets information about the athlete:inside. It must be able to record parameters in real time and respond to situations with a high risk of injury," Hermann explains. However, a relevant amount of data material and development is still required before a demonstrator including sensor technology and algorithms can be realized.
The module objective: Research through teaching
Out of the lab, onto the slopes: After all the preparation, the student project team "mechatronic ski binding" now has to complete as many test runs as possible. The highly motivated and committed team idolizes Klara like a queen bee. Again and again, the students check the measuring devices, readjust the cables, remove snow and ice from the two-centimeter-thick aluminum plate between the ski and the ski boot that measures the forces and moments at the foot, and check whether the data have been transmitted. Because without data, no evaluation, no final presentation, no credits, no completion of the degree module.
Good teaching is a real concern for Hermann, "it's motivating, transparent and characterized by mutual respect." A special kind of learning experience, therefore, are the practically oriented courses, where lecturer:s and students alike gain valuable experience. "There is enormous potential in the students. If teaching takes place at eye level, they can experience team spirit, learn soft skills in project management and contribute ingenious ideas."
After all, the central task in Sports Engineering is to generate new developments and optimize existing systems - for more fun in sports through technology, greater safety through improved equipment, better performance with optimized equipment. "Sports Engineering covers a broad spectrum. We shed light on the interaction between humans, sports equipment and the environment from various aspects such as biomechanics, user ergonomics and subjective experience. In addition to hardware - from hybrid floors on sports fields to trail running shoes and seat sleds for people with disabilities - we are particularly concerned with information technology, for example the digital fitness coach or the self-charging navigation device," says Prof. Veit Senner, explaining his field of research: "The methods and measurement procedures we use come from both sports science and engineering, but also in an interdisciplinary context from the behavioral sciences and psychology. Through sports, we can learn a lot about people's motivation and goals."
About the person
Aljoscha Hermann studied Bachelor of Science Aerospace and subsequently Master of Science Mechanical Engineering at TUM. He focused his education on product development and human factors engineering.
Since 2015, he has been working as a research assistant and doctoral student in the Chair of Sports Equipment and Materials with Prof. Veit Senner. Within his research he deals with biomechanics, material science, physiology - and last but not least always with a quantum psychology.
Profile: www.mec.ed.tum.de/spgm/mitarbeiter/hermann
Links
Professorship Sports Equipment and Materials of Prof. Veit Senner: www.mec.ed.tum.de/spgm
Research project Mechatronic Ski Binding of the Bavarian Research Foundation: www.mec.ed.tum.de/spgm/forschung/projekte/bfs-mechatronische-skibindung
Hermann, Aljoscha and Senner, Veit (2020). Knee injury prevention in alpine skiing. A technological paradigm shift towards a mechatronic ski binding. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2020.06.009
TUM Study and Teaching: www.tum.de/studium/lehre