ISBS 2018 AUCKLAND CONFERENCE SPORTS TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE PROGRAMME

The coordinators Amber Taylor (AUT Ventures), Rosanne Ellis (AUT Research and Innovation Office), and Ryan Archibald (ATEED) have selected companies with new products to be explored by biomechanists. We hope you gain ideas for your research and learn how to commercialise your products at this showcase. ISBS 2018 Auckland Conference Industry Partner Tekscan are supporting the lunch during the showcase. Dr Jono Neville, Shelley Diewald, and Farhan Tinwala will be showcasing AUT Strain Gauge. AUT Strain gauge allows for a valid and reliable assessment of the strength of an entire class or team in a relatively short amount of time. Steve Leftly and Farshid Sarmast will be showcasing Myovolt which is a breakthrough muscle massage system that you wear. It delivers vibration therapy to any part of the body, it\u27s easy to use, lightweight and has benefits backed by clinical research. Parn Jones, Eric Helms and Wilson Huang will be showcasing Avice which is a wearable device that gives you real-time actionable feedback during weight training. It measures changes in muscle performance to inform you how close to muscular failure you are. Xiaoyou Lin and Bandt Li are showcasing Pressure Mat which is a new resistive-sensing contact mat for detecting the pseudo force, of sports activities such as running, jumping, stepping. Holly Sutich and Bradley Phagan will be showcasing Beta-Energy which is a healthier natural energy drink. It provides sustainable energy so you don’t get the crash that you do from a normal energy drink. Arien Hielkema and Yasir Al-Hilali will showcase MyBio Motion which is a smart wearable knee sleeve. It provides support for rehabilitation from post-operative or knee trauma, and prevention from a knee injury. Daniel Thomson and Emily Coates will showcase Circuband which has successfully paired Virtual Reality with Resistance Training to make fitness more engaging and stimulating for both athletes and the public. Colin Anderson will demonstrate Physio Wear

Design of a Wearable Vibration Therapy Device for Relieving Plantar Fasciitis Pain, Based on the Input of Clinicians

This study explored the technical and design aspects and requirements underpinning the design process of a new wearable vibration therapy device for home users to reduce the pain caused by plantar fasciitis. The device has the potential to help reduce demands on health practitioners’ time while ensuring a consistent level of ongoing treatment. In this research Myovolt Ltd., a Christchurch-based, company was the industry sponsor, and Callaghan Innovation funded the study. The process followed in this project consisted of four steps including 1. Problem identification 2. Idea generation 3. Prototyping and 4. Evaluation. A combination of literature review, asking experts’ advice and feedback (on the outcome of the design process), creative idea generation methods (mind mapping, mood board, sketching, etc.) and prototyping informed the design process with useful data. To develop a deeper insight into the problem in the primary stages of the study and to get feedback on the design outcome of the project, the researcher interviewed some physiotherapists and podiatrists. Similarly, the academic supervisors and Myovolt managers gave beneficial information that helped the researcher in different stages of the project. The outcome of the project was a device consisting of a vibration therapy unit in two sizes (one for small-medium feet, and the other for medium-large feet) and a knitted wrap (in two versions) to enclose the unit. The reason for choosing this approach from other design concepts generated was to enable users to hold the vibration units on the foot more easily and comfortably. The entire knit development and prototyping process was done at AUT’s Textile and Design LAB. As no similar product for the same purpose exists on the market, this research and its outcome are the first endeavors to create a user-centric wearable device for domestic users to manage the pain caused by plantar fasciitis at home. The iterative design process adopted in this project and consultation with experts at the beginning and the end of the research process helped the researcher decide the considerations for the final design solution and to understand to what extent the outcome corresponds to the design requirements. This research will be useful for prospective researchers/designers in the design of user-oriented products, especially healthcare and therapeutic products. The overall feedback given by the experts confirmed the outcome of the project and helped identify what to improve through future development