A British startup plans to create a new wave of athletics recordsby reinventing the running track.
London-basedFeldsparis engineering the surface to maximise speed.
It all starts with the flooring design, which converts more running energy towards horizontal propulsion.
By improving energy return, the system could alsoreduce fatigue.
The track will also deliver new athletic insights.
Through a combination ofembedded sensors and camera-based analysis, Feldspar will capture real-time data directly from the surface.
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Feldspar alsowantsto bring the analytics to spectators.
Chen herself was previously a professional athlete.
But track upgrades have been minimal since the 1968 Olympics introduced anall-weather running surface.
Chen founded Feldspar to change that.
By combining sensor data with novel energy conversion, she wants to push athletes to new levels of performance.
Feldspar still needs to prove the theories work in practice, however.
With funding from Hong Kong-based investors, the company will first develop a prototype system.
The design packs all the tech into a modular surface.
Built for easy assembly and portability, Feldspar envisions customers transporting the mobile track worldwide.
Production of the flooring is earmarked to start next year.
According to Feldspar, the final product will be the worlds first sensor-enabled performance running track.
There is a huge opportunity in revolutionising this sport, Chen said.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
