Sports Tech Research Center is Opened | 2014 |
“Here, we will be able to conduct complete tests that are very close to reality!” says an ecstatic Mikael Bäckström. He is a professor and centre leader at Mid Sweden University’s newest research centre – Sports Tech Research Center.
Jämtland wants to be an even stronger actor in the sports and outdoor industry. For that reason, Sports Tech Research Center was opened in November 2014. Here, the activities will focus on the innovative development of sports and outdoor technology and equipment. The centre will also carry out research on medical applications and equipment for people with disabilities.
– Here, we will strengthen our programmes and courses and the cutting-edge research that we carry out, so that it can be of even greater benefit to the public, says Mikael Bäckström.
Within the centre, there are several internationally unique laboratories: a textile laboratory, a wind tunnel, a laboratory for additive manufacturing (3D printing) in plastic or metal, and a ski laboratory with equipment for studies both in the laboratory and in the field.
In the textile laboratory, one of the things that is being tested is how resistant materials are to water, damp, steam, wear and laundry. In the globally unique wind tunnel, there is a 5x3 metres large treadmill, huge fans and an entire rain system. In it, it will be possible to test how products and materials work in an authentic outdoor environment. It can also be used to test materials used in disabled sports: prostheses, wheelchairs, sit-skies, etc.
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