While studying MSc Sports Engineering, Marius Gemmel completed a project with Adidas to optimise the design of footwear used in sport.

‘My research was about measuring what happens inside the shoe during sport movements, and how people react in different conditions. It also measured the change of conditions inside the shoe, how they affect the stress on the shoe and how the athlete feels as well – the comfort factor.

‘To take measurements I used pressure insoles and force plates, which are 60 x 40cm plates mounted into the ground, and as you step on them you can measure the forces in each direction. You can also measure torque and moments, and you can calculate force vectors in three dimensions.

‘With the findings from my work, Adidas could potentially optimise the insoles, especially in the important zones where high pressure and forces act. They could also change the design of training socks and game socks to increase comfort for the athletes.

‘I presented my findings at the Adidas headquarters in Germany and it was pretty amazing! I had guests from different departments attending the presentation, as well as their head of engineering – and I got really positive feedback on both the project and the presentation. They are now looking to implement my findings in their future projects.

‘This would be great as the findings apply to problems I have in playing hockey. It would be pretty cool to see your own project applied in such a major company – and I’m hoping to play hockey again soon, so it would be a cool feeling if the research was implemented into an Adidas shoe I could wear.’