Performance equipment specialist Physiolab has extended its offering with its newest launch, the S1 unit, a portable unit designed to deliver effective compression, cryotherapy and thermotherapy treatments. These treatments are designed to maximise physical performance, accelerate soft tissue repair following injury, aid recovery time and reduce pain.

Simon Withey, CEO at Physiolab, says: “The S1 retains the consistency and innovation for which we’re renowned but is at home both on the pitch and in the sports injury clinic. We have created a truly practical pitch side product including removable plug and play cartridges, easy to fill, sealable water and ice cartridges and up to six hours of battery life.”

Withey adds: “By providing physiotherapists and sports injury specialists with the tools needed, they can maximise their players’ performance, improve recovery rates and accelerate soft tissue repair while reducing pain.”

Sport-kit keyword: PHYSIOLAB

Sheffield-based engineering firm SCX has been selected to design and install a retractable pitch at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

The retractable pitch will be made from real turf and will sit atop an artificial pitch, making the new White Hart Lane stadium the first in the UK to contain two pitches within the same bowl.

To preserve the integrity of both playing surfaces, the real-grass pitch will be used exclusively for football matches, whilst the artificial pitch beneath will be used for NFL matches and other events including live music.

The grass pitch sits in three pitch-long trays that, when retracted, slide back into the south stand to reveal the artificial pitch beneath. The joins in the grass pitch are designed to be undetectable when in use.

The installation, which began in October, is expected to take 12 weeks, and will be carried out by SCX Special Projects, the bespoke precision engineering arm of the SCX Group.

Danny Pickard, Lead engineer at SCX, says: “Our expertise and heritage enables us to constantly push the boundaries of moving structures and precision engineering.”

Sport-kit keyword: SCX

Crowd-funded company Walljam has launched an interactive training wall, designed to get all types of people engaging in sport.

Developed by Hertfordshire-based Tim Worboys, the wall incorporates a number of different ball sports, including football, tennis and cricket, and is designed to improve a player’s game whilst tracking their performance and development. It also adds an element of gamification to training.

Users aim balls at intelligent LED targets on the wall and score points for the speed, accuracy and power of the strike. Scores can then be shared to an online leader board via the accompanying Walljam app.

The wall is formatted to allow for single or group play and is designed to offer a fast-paced, high intensity experience that also improves users’ overall fitness and technique. Features include: an integrated stopwatch, colour coded LED lights that flash when a target has been hit and inbuilt impact pressure sensors to measure accuracy and power.

Tim Worboys, founder of Walljam, says: “We’re mashing physical sport and play with digital performance output – we want to revitalise how sport is taken up and played.”

He adds: “It’s our aim to see people engaged with the wall, showing that they can rise to the physical challenge.”

Sport-kit keyword: WALLJAM

Dutch tech developer Xsens has developed the MVN Suit, a self-contained motion capture suit designed to enable motion capture in any environment, including extreme situations such as mountain biking or sky diving, without the need for cameras, sensors or stages.

The suit is built to overcome the effects of magnetic distortion – a previously uncontrollable environmental factor where magnetic interference from nearby metals corrupts motion data – promising to deliver clear and accurate data.

An on-body pack with a battery life of 12 hours records information. Ultra-small sensors are designed to accommodate movements including stunts and rolls.

Hein Beute, director of product marketing and head project manager, says: “Our core aim has always been to make performance analysis easier and more accurate. Our MVN system can track an athlete’s movement data in any location. Capturing an athlete in their natural competitive environment rather than a laboratory allows for more authentic motion capture.”

The suit is is expected to be released in coming months.