In this episode, we are joined by a true pioneer in the world of sports and movement training, Jo Shattuck from PantherTec.
Jo is knowledgeable in the brain-behavior relationship of motor learning and developed a ‘Kinesthetic Awareness Training’ system.
Kristof and Jo talk about what the system is about, where and how it is used, and what’s next for both the motor learning field as PantherTec as a US startup company.
With a background at Chelsea Football Club and Loughborough University London, Ben now leads the international business development at Breakaway Data. A US company that puts ‘elite data in the hands of elite athletes’.
Kristof and Ben talk about the benefits of putting the athlete at the center of digital product development, the importance of stakeholder management in implementing such tool(s) and the opportunities for applied research this creates.
Athlete data ownership, privacy, and practical use. And of course: AI. That’s what this conversation is all about. Enjoy listening!
Jessica Zendler is a Sports & Fitness Tech and Biomechanics consultant at Rimkus, a worldwide leader in engineering and technical consulting.
Jessica is leading the sports division of the company, after being an independent consultant, startup CTO and academic PhD researcher. She’s also part of the Special Interest Group behind the STRN's Quality Framework for Sports Technologies, which has been published earlier.
Kristof & Jessica talked about the key differences between industry and academia when it comes to innovation. They also share some advice on how to transition from academia to industry, and the importance of having an open mindset when it comes to setting up collaborations.
But it doesn’t end there. Just give it a listen!
Marcus Schmidt is a researcher at TU Dortmund (Germany) with a special focus on the use of portable mobile sensors for biomechanical and training-scientific performance diagnostics as well as for preventive diagnostics in highly dynamic sports. This time, Kristof had a chat with him and his ‘Sensing Motion Science’ podcast partner Sebastian Wille who has his own consultancy firm which is acting as a development service provider. He and his team offer support in the development of embedded hardware and software solutions.
With Marcus understanding the needs from the industry and Sebastian - coming from research but now being more active outside of academic environments – understanding the needs of scientists, the conversation went mainly into the direction of sharing some practical examples, tips & tricks (on e.g. on attracting funding) and a few ideas for future initiatives related to collaborative efforts in the sports science and engineering field.
Torstein Dalen-Lorentsen is the Research Manager, Health and Performance Technology at SINTEF Digital in Oslo (Norway). Having a background in sports practice, science and technology R&D, he’s bringing very relevant insights to the table when it comes to the current and future state of our field. Kristof and Torstein talked about things as:
We hope you enjoy this one!
Karl Etzel is the VP of the Human Performance Lab at Exos (San Francisco, USA) which conducts research on products, programs, and services in the areas of human performance, health and fitness, and corporate wellness. Kristof & Karl discuss the role of the lab within the ecosystem, how to optimally manage it, and how it creates value for its clients, partners and the broader society. Also, find out Karl’s opinion about a gentleman called admiral Hyman G. Rickover!
After staying away for some time, we're 'back on air' with some new episodes of the Sports Tech Research Podcast. Kristof continues where he left it in 2022 and re-started recordings with some of the most inspiring people in the sports science, tech & innovation area.
Olli Tikkanen is the host of the Physical Activity Researcher podcast, where he speaks to experts in physical activity, exercise, and health to find out about the latest research findings. Besides that, he is the co-founder of Fibion, which offers a physical activity analysis product targeted to health & fitness professionals.
Olli is the 4th guest in our 2nd series of episodes, during which we interview other podcast hosts in the sports science, tech, and innovation area, in order to get their insights on the sports tech industry & the role of research and innovation within it.
In this episode, Olli & Kristof first talk about which research is still missing. Then, Olli talks about the difficulties of creating a business, something that many researchers often underestimate. He continues to talk about the importance of having some start-up experience in order to have realistic expectations and he also stresses the importance of informal meetups. Next, Olli & Kristof talk about ways to combine research & industry to come up with the right solutions. Finally, the implementation and adoption side of tech are discussed as well. Olli makes clear how important it is to understand the customer well and to know how the technology will work precisely in the client’s daily work or life.
Enjoy this episode!
P.S.: We spoke with Olli Tikkanen before about Fibion, on our Sports Tech Research blog.
Fee Beyer is hosting her own 'Fee Beyer SportTech Podcast', in which she is interviewing a variety of (elite) sports professionals.
So, she is/was the perfect (3rd) guest in our 2nd series of episodes, during which we interview other podcast hosts in the sports science, tech, and innovation area, in order to get their insights on the sports tech industry & the role of research and innovation within it.
In this episode, Fee talks about her experience with scouting & validating technologies for professional sports clubs. Furthermore, she explains the crucial aspects of technologies in elite sports: accuracy & reliability, usability, and flexibility. Kristof & Fee also discuss how her podcast came into existence. Finally, they talk about the intersection of sports practitioners, academia, and companies with Fee’s idea of a Sports Tech Lab where these 3 stakeholders could come together and create more usable & effective technologies.
Enjoy this episode!
Ed Gibbins is the host of Rewire Fitness Podcast, linked to Rewire Fitness, the first-to-market neuro performance mobile platform for athletes.
Ed is the second guest in our 2nd series of episodes, during which we interview other podcast hosts in the sports science, tech, and innovation area, in order to get their insights on the sports tech industry & the role of research and innovation within it.
In this episode, Ed talks about his insights from running the Rewire Fitness Podcast. Ed and Kristof also talk about neuro performance and methods of optimizing the mindset of athletes. The role of research and their collaborations with universities are also discussed. Finally, Ed talks about the interdisciplinary opportunities for Sports Tech & related Research, and reflects on the role STRN can play within this 'window of opportunity'.
As mentioned during the episode, you can find the free trial of Rewire Fitness here & the episode with Timothy O’Donnell, World Champion Triathlete, here.
Enjoy the episode!
Benjamin Penkert is well known as the host of The SportsTech Allstars Podcast, linked to SportsTechX, the market intelligence company for professionals & investors in sports, which he is running with his co-founder Rohn Malhotra.
Benjamin is the first guest in our 2nd series of episodes, during which we interview other podcast hosts in the sports science, tech, and innovation area, in order to get their insights on the sports tech industry & the role of research and innovation within it.
In this episode, Benjamin talks about his insights from running SportsTechX and their amazing podcast over the past 4 years. Benjamin and Kristof also talk about the role of research in the different segments of sports tech. Different methods and key criteria for translating research to market are discussed as well. Finally, Benjamin talks about the largest opportunities for Sports Tech & related Research as he is seeing these, and reflects on the role STRN can play within this field.
Enjoy the episode!
Steven Verstockt is a Professor at Ghent University, where he is leading a multimodal analytics research group.
Steven talks about the kind of methodologies they develop in the lab, relevant for cycling. Next, collaborations with other groups within the university and with external companies are being discussed. Finally, Steven explains how generic building blocks are created from their methodologies, and which critical hurdles they need to overcome with these types of projects.
Enjoy this episode!
Johann Windt is the Head of Data Science at the Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club, a Canadian professional soccer team playing in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
First, Johann talks about his background in sports, his academic involvement, and his transition to sports practice. Then, Johann & Kristof talk about how Data Science fits in the organizational structure at Vancouver Whitecaps and how decisions are supported by the Data Science department. The partnerships with other organizations, universities, and departments are also discussed in depth.
Enjoy this episode!
Ismael Fernández Cuevas is the Co-Founder of ThermoHuman, an infrared thermography and thermal analytics company for injury prevention in sports science, medicine and physiotherapy.
First of all, Ismael’s internationally-oriented background and PhD. in Sports Science are discussed. Then, Ismael talks about the research of infrared thermography and what it can be used for - ThermoHuman focuses on prevention, performance, and prediction. Finally, the link with universities, research, SME's and corporates are made as well. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Timothy Brownstone is the CEO and Founder of Kymira, an innovative smart textile company. They work within the Medical, Sport, Military, and Space verticals to enhance performance or injury recovery.
In this podcast, Timothy talks about his background and the use of infrared technology to stimulate cell growth. The technology behind Kymira and several use cases are also discussed in depth. Finally, Timothy & Kristof talk about the intersection of the sports, health, and the medical domains and how an interdisciplinary approach plays a key role in innovation. Enjoy the conversation!
In Episode 26, we welcome two guests: Tom Ruth, Vice President Americas at Quuppa, and Miska Kuusisto, Sales & Marketing Executive at Wisehockey. Quuppa has extensive experience in tracking technology, specialized in radiofrequency technologies. Tom is responsible for the business in the Americas and has had previous experience at Nokia and Broadsoft. Wisehockey creates solutions for hockey specifically. They build on core technologies, model games & provide analytics on top of it.
In this episode, we discuss core tracking technologies for sports, with the Quuppa-Wisehockey partnership as an example. We also talked about data collection & analytics, especially how to automate the whole flow. Finally, we explored the link with research. We hope you enjoy this three-way conversation!
Episode 25 is with Jan Van Haaren who worked for several years at SciSports, a Dutch football analytics company. Jan has a background in Computer Science and a PhD. in Machine Learning and worked as the Chief Analytics Officer at SciSports. He's been involved in soccer analytics for some time now and SciSports aims at getting the most valuable insights from football matches and training sessions.
In this podcast (recorded before Jan left the company), the different types of football analytics are covered (match sheet data, event data, and tracking data). Furthermore, the analytics discipline and its critical hurdles are discussed in depth. In addition, the ambition of creating actionable insights, and the role of multidisciplinary teams in soccer analytics in general are discussed. Finally, Kristof & Jan talk about the transition from descriptive analytics to predictive & prescriptive analytics. Enjoy this episode!
Aline Fobe is a Corporate Wellbeing Consultant at Energy Lab. Before this role, Aline was an HR consultant at PwC and an athlete in the national field hockey team of Belgium. Throughout her career, she has collaborated in different teams and has developed a specific interest in high-performing teams.
In this episode, Aline talks about a specific sports technology analytics project that was set up by PwC and the Belgian field hockey team. Furthermore, she talks about the importance of leadership, personal wellbeing, and good communication in & outside of sports. We hope you enjoy this episode!
Peter Düking is a wearables researcher at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität of Würzburg. Peter’s interests intersect in the domains of athletes, science, and technology. Peter & Kristof spoke about how wearables can contribute to the improvement of athletes' health and performance, but also talked about regulations & standards within the sports technology industry. As always: we hope you enjoy this one!
Carlos Balsalobre is a Sports Scientist & Researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid and a developer & entrepreneur in the area of physical performance apps. His main interests are strength training and testing new technologies to measure and improve performance. Carlos & Kristof talk about the path towards becoming a science-driven entrepreneur, the reasons behind it, and the key challenges to tackle along the way. Of course, Carlos also talks about the apps he has developed and the value they provide. Enjoy this inspiring story!
Martin Carlsson-Wall is a Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) and the director of the Center for Sports and Business at SSE. Next to leading the team of researchers in Sports & Business, his own research interests focus on accounting in sports organizations. In this episode, Martin talks about the collaborations with leagues, the different ways and stages of bringing research to the industry, and the importance of culture within sports organizations. Enjoy this one!