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THE KICKS FIX FOR ADDICTS
email us @: thekixfix4addix@yahoo.com
 

At Nike the job of technology isto keep pace with the demands of human potential.

 

The Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL) is philosophically and physically at the heart of the Nike World Headquarters campus in Oregon.

 

The 30 + women and men working on the discoveries of tomorrow, are notsequestered in an underground lair, wit lab rats, and test tube babies, in a dark labrith . Not at all. But the good people at Nike are not just designing a new form of "Air technology" every 2- 5 years niether. The discoveries and advances in shoe technology is an ongoing process that needs an epicenter. They anchor the foundation floor of the Mia Hamm building, this epicenter of Nike design expertise. From there they collaborate with clusters of designers to market products that athletic performance beyond the next level.

Nike's research lab has grown considerably in 30 years. Today it commands nearly 13,00 square feet and is decked out with state-of-the-art reasearch equiptment that looks like it should be orbitiong some distant star. In simplest terms, the researchers work falls into three primamry areas:

  • Biomechanics (study of human movement and related forces)
  • Physiology (study of the integration of the body's energy systems and responses to environmental stresses)
  • Sensory/perception (subjective evaluation of product attributes, usability, and durability)

 

For each of those, researchers must take into account the nuances of at least four differentiating factors:

  • Geography. Runners in the United States often run on hard surfaces while runners in Europe prefer trails. That leads to different cushioning demands and different potential injuries.
  • Gender. On average, for any shoe size, women tend to weigh 10% to 50% less than men. That translates into different structural needs.
  • Age. Children learning to walk - and the lab has studied even them - have different stability needs than those of a master athlete.
  • Skill level. Someone learning to hit their first clean shot off the tee has different needs than Tiger Woods.

 

To do all this, the scientists have an incredible array of measurement and analysis tools. Their data collection includes virtually every variety of muscle sensor, pressure platform, breath analyzer, foot scanner and thermal imaging device that has ever fluttered into the sci-fi imaginings of the most psychotic geek researcher.

 

Add to that a boggling array of testing surfaces, such as a huge section of regulation basketball hardwood, artificial soccer turf and a 70-meter sprinter's track runway. The lab's doors are even specially designed to allow runners to circle through the lab and out into the carpeted hall so they need not slow their pace while being tested indoors. Then there's the endless field testing that takes place outdoors in various terrain.

Here's an abbreviated list of some scientific techniques the researchers use to quantify their finds:

  • Motion analysis (kinematics)
  • Ground reaction forces and loading rates (kinetics)
  • Foot-pressure measurement (in-shoe and external)
  • Ankle range of motion (ROM)
  • Foot morphology
  • Electromyography
  • High-speed video
  • Metabolic cart
  • Heart-rate monitors
  • Skin and core-temperature sensors
  • Bloodwork
  • Several other methods/devices the NSRL has created but which remain, obviously, confidential

 

additional info @ nike.com

 
 

Nike air technology:

Cushioning systes designed to reduce shock, distribute pressure, protect fro ipact and offer comfort. Nike has invested and achieved more in figuring out new method in acheiving this.

Durable. Versatile. Revolutionary. Nike Air was the first air technology developed at Nike, and it changed the way we think about cushioning: encapsulated air to cushion the footstrike in athletic shoes. It remains the the standard in impact protection ore than 20 years after its debut.

 

Nike Max Air:

axium impact cushioning, designed specifically to target the brutal, repetative, downward force of sport that can wreak havoc on the body and perforance. Max Air cushioning is specifically engineered to handle these impacts and provide protection. Max Air is big air designed to take a pounding.

Zoom Air

Lightweight, superresponsive performance cushioning. Incredibly thin, Zoom Air brings the foot closer to the ground, for optimum feel and aggressive maneuverability. Very light. Very responsive.

nike shox:

A revolution in cushioning and ipact protection, Nike Shox technology provides an optimal environment for cushioning. The actual shox aterial was created at NASA and no is in commercial use by Nike to provide the optimum quality of supreme cushioning, a slower rate of impact loading (which helps reduce the risk of impact- related injuries) and a uniquely responsive feel. The highly resilient foam in Nike Shox columns is made of energy-efficient material that enhances durability and spring.

 
foamposites
 
 
 

 

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Nike air max 87

This air air max cushioning system, was the next step in the future in designing a more cofortable shoe. Highly sought after in it original release in 1987, and still extreely popular today, makes all th leather models highly sought after and extremel difficult to find.

Full midsole and air-sole unit in the heel for superior cushionig, equipt with unique mesh package offers unsurpassed breath ability. Providing a full lacing syste for anatoical fit across the top of the foot. Simple one-piece inner sleeve construction provides a dynaic-fitting upper,. An outsole of solid carbon rubber, ann air max midsole , and an upper portion of synthetic leather and mesh.