Sports

As the incidence of drugs escalates in 21st century living, their detection and analysis have become increasingly important. Sport, the workplace, crime investigation, homeland security, the pharmaceutical industry and the environment are just some of the high profile arenas in which analytical testing has provided an important investigative tool for uncovering the presence of extraneous substances. Now there's a new scientific magazine entitled Drug Testing and Analysis which will explore the analytical techniques used to determine controlled and potentially controversial compounds. As a promotion for the first issue, publishers Wiley-Blackwell have made public a podcast of an interview with Professor Richard Holt of the University of Southampton on the current state of human Growth Hormone use, abuse and detection in sports.  Read More

GPS specialist Garmin has announced a new fitness watch that offers new levels of functionality and convenience using wireless connectivity at the 2009 ISPO Winter trade show in Munich. While you exercise, the easy-to-use FR60 accurately tracks your time, calories burned, heart rate and other data from wirelessly linked fitness equipment, then once you’re within range of your computer, the information is wirelessly transferred and stored for later analysis.  Read More

Back in December we brought you news of a radical new design that sets out to improve on almost every aspect of snowboard riding - more speed, higher jumps, quicker turns, better fit and less chatter. Now, after four years in development, "The Whip" as it's known has been officially launched. Gizmag spoke to inventor Adams Lin to learn more about what sets the design apart.  Read More

January 13, 2009 The latest generation turbo injected clean diesels are already delivering proper sportscar performance at fuel economy levels that beat even the updated version of Toyota's pedestrian Prius hybrid - and Volkswagen's major concept debut at Detroit's Auto Show is determined to ram home the point. Using similar technologies to what VW subsidiary Audi has employed in its Sportback concept, the VW BlueSport concept's 54mpg fuel economy makes a mockery of the third-generation Prius's 50mpg, while delivering nearly twice the horsepower. A compact, corner-carving roadster, the BlueSport looks like a real giggle.  Read More

January 13, 2009 While the firebreathing 5.2-litre V10 R8 supercar is clearly the performance king of Audi's Detroit NAIAS lineup, the Sportback concept unveiled does an excellent job of marrying performance, economy, stunning looks and practicality. Its 3-litre, 6-cylinder direct-injection turbo 'clean diesel' engine puts out 225 horsepower and 550 Nm, for a top speed over 150mph - and yet its average fuel economy nearly tips 40mpg. Ultra-low CO2 emissions are the result of smart decisions throughout the car, from the advanced exhaust emissions control, to electric systems like the power steering that consume no energy when they're not immediately in use, to automatic engine stop-start at the traffic lights and power-smart sunlight-white LED headlights. The Sportback's ultra-clean lines and fastback hatch somehow make this four-door coupe look sportier than some of its two-door contemporaries. Beautiful.  Read More

December 29, 2008 Flipping upside down on a snow sled usually puts an abrupt end to your downhill journey and leaves you with - at best - a face full of the white stuff and a short slog to retrieve your errant steed. Enter the Slegoon, a concept design from Londoner Spike Reid which puts a new spin on sledding by seating the rider in a semi-enclosed pod that can continue its run even when upside down.  Read More

Each year for the last three decades, Swiss-based Rinspeed has presented a new concept car at the Geneva motor show – customizing Porsches might be the company’s bread and butter, but synthesizing highly inventive and original concept cars is the company’s forte. This year’s concept car is entitled the iChange, and its defining feature is its ability to change shape from a streamlined teardrop one-seater, to a three seat compact sportsvan. The iChange car makes the most of its 130 kw electric propulsion system by having very low weight and high aerodynamic efficiency.  Read More

Part of the attraction - and frustration - of golf is that the slightest imperfection in your swing can quickly be transformed into a utter disaster on the scorecard. Because of this, the game has also created a huge market for devices designed to help you train your swing correctly and the Gyro Swing - a training club that incorporates a 20,000 RPM gyroscope into the head - is one of the most high-tech examples we've seen to date.  Read More

Developed in the 60s and 70s and first appearing as a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998, snowboarding has now well and truly taken a hold on the ski-slopes. But despite the growing popularity of the sport, slicker graphics and better board construction have been the only notable innovations in recent times, with the core design of the snowboard not undergoing any major changes since steel edges were added two decades ago. That's the argument put forward by Cheetah Ultra Sports, a company that is set to reveal what it calls the most advanced snowboard ever - "The Whip".  Read More