Taking Biomechanics to the Masses
Brooks’ new Run Signature app helps runners find the right shoe to fit their run
The quest for the perfect stride has bedeviled everyone from casual athletes jogging their first 5K to Olympic marathoners. For years, many have said that a more efficient stride means faster times, longer runs, quicker recovery, and greater comfort. It means better results achieved with less energy. But exactly what the perfect stride looks like has been hotly debated. And, up until now, measuring a runner’s stride accurately and consistently has been confined to scientists in labs with professional athletes.
Brooks challenged the notion of a perfect stride, and the company’s research and development team embarked on a quest to better understand the biomechanics of runners.
“So far, high-quality stride analysis has been reserved for only the most elite athletes. We wanted to change that,” said Carson Caprara, Sr. Manager – Global Product Line Management at Brooks.
Research and development
The first task — and it was a big one — was to determine what exactly constituted the ideal running stride. To do this, Brooks took a sample of the best runners in the world. Using a barrage of sensors, they examined the gaits of 32 U.S. Olympic athletes in action. Brooks scientists and biomechanics experts analyzed multiple elements, including length of stride, foot strike, angle of extension, and more. What they found surprised them — there was, in fact, no such thing as the perfect stride. Each elite athlete had his or her own unique style of running.
This flew in the face of conventional thinking. For years, experts have been trying to determine the optimal stride for speed, endurance, and health. But Brooks biomechanical experts found that because everyone’s body is different, so is their ideal form. This insight led Brooks to publish a white paper distilling their research into a new point of view about how we move, which the company calls Run Signature.
Brooks was after more than information, and wanted to figure out a way for runners to benefit from the company’s research and insights on biomechanics. Brooks came to POP with a simple question: Does the technology exist — or could such technology be created — that would enable a runner to find their Run Signature?
POP worked in close collaboration with the Brooks innovation team to explore multiple approaches to the challenge. Brooks and POP concluded that the best solution was to develop a custom app for the iOS platform. The app would not only accurately assess a runner’s Run Signature quickly; it would also inspire confidence in consumers in a fun, engaging way.
As envisioned, the app would make it possible to evaluate a customer’s stride outside a professional lab setting with far more accuracy than in the past. It would also help runners better choose the running experience and the shoe that fits their run.
“When you can’t take the world into the lab, why not take the lab to the world?” said Mr. Caprara.
POP engineers and designers joined the Brooks Running innovation team in the lab and worked closely throughout a rigorous product development process. They collaborated on how best to bring this technology to customers in the most intuitive and accurate way possible. Together, they tested cameras, sensors, and a variety of other devices, as well as operating systems and platforms, to determine the perfect combination.
“Great collaboration happens when the client and agency teams sweat the details together and trust each other throughout the process,” said Tommy Barnes, Mobile Architect at POP. “We’re so proud that our collaboration with Brooks has led to a product that helps runners find the right shoe for their unique run.”
Evolution of the running retailer
The result of a year in the lab was a custom iOS app. With it, Brooks is able to place sensors on runners and put them through a series of exercises to ascertain their optimal stride and the type of footwear that fits their unique biomechanics.
“We believe the Run Signature app will bring runners better performance and comfort,” said Brian Matakis, VP, Client Partner at POP.