Approaching LCR 4.0
Having taken up hot desk space within Sensor City, SportScientia were keen to capitalise on the access to both its mechanical and electronics labs, in addition to the technical expertise offered through its dedicated LCR 4.0 team. They were especially keen to use the multi material Stratasys Objet260 Connex3 3D printer and LPKF ProtoMat D104 to help develop their insoles.
Partner Support
The LCR 4.0 team at Sensor City undertook a two-stage process; first designing and fabricating a flexible PCB, and secondly fabricating and 3D printing a range of prototypes for the smart insoles. Insoles with differing levels of shore hardness were produced, made up from a combination of plastic and rubber-like materials.
Results
SportScientia now have an accurate set of prototypes that they can test, ahead of proceeding to the full manufacturing process. Due to the number of iterations created through LCR 4.0, it has enabled them to reduce both the development time and associated costs of producing these smart insoles, before committing to larger-scale manufacture.
They are now collaborating with Liverpool John Moores University’s Sports Science department and local football teams to trial their prototypes, and are looking to undertake significant promotional activity to increase awareness of the product and to gain interest from investors.
Working into the future
Their long-term vision is for their real-time data to revolutionise athlete performance, statistics and injury management, enabling them to predict and prevent injuries from grassroots all the way up to elite professional level. They also hope to build SportScientia into a global company and brand.
Our wireless smart insole can give grassroots/youth players the chance to fulfil their potential, because their progress can be constantly monitored from a young age, their stats and performances can be logged, and career threatening muscular injuries can be avoided by using all their collated information. Getting involved in the LCR 4.0 project has been really beneficial for us, as it’s enabled us to reduce prototype development time, therefore helping us to get our smart insoles out to market more quickly.
Peter Lazou, Founding Partner
