EXERCISE AND SPORTS EQUIPMENT - SOME ERGONOMICS ASPECTS

Sports equipment encompasses a gamut of devices used in laboratory, training and competitive contexts, and these form the content of this paper. Ergometers range in sophistication from friction braked stationary bicycles to computer controlled simulators which incorporate exercise modes specific to the atheltic user. These are now used in training as experimental devices and in some instances for competition purposes. Training equipment exhibits a similar emphasis on exercise specificity, safety being an important aspect of its use. Design of projectiles for sporting activities has mainly reflected their traditional modes of use, the introduction of synthetic materials having some ergonomics implications. Similarly, materials science and design technology have contributed innovations in equipment for racquet sports and hitting implements. The changes have tended to be associated with availability of new materials for product construction and have implications for safety and skill in the transition to using the new products. Enforced validation of protective equipment is recommended to raise safety levels in certain sports, and the safety of spectators must not be neglected. Refs.