LABORATORY TESTS

LABORATORY TESTS
.
Laboratory tests of prototype running shoes with Power Bounce midsole inserts were conducted at the University of Calgary’s Human Performance Laboratory test lab by Professor Benno Nigg. These tests showed a significant reduction in impact shock compared to a well-know name-brand with conventional cushioning.

In carefully controlled tests, sensors were put in a runner’s shoes to measure impact forces as the subject ran on a treadmill at three different speeds. The impact forces were compared when the runner wore shoes with Power Bounce inserts to those when wearing a well-known name-brand shoe specifically designed for cushioning. To ensure statistically meaningful results, each condition was repeated 10 times, for a total 60 experimental runs.

As shown in Figure 1, the test results showed that Power Bounce inserts significantly reduced the impact force, an indication of the initial shock felt by the runner. Note in particular that the impact force magnitude, shown by the height of the left hand peak of the curves in Figure 1, is less for dotted curves (PB) representing the Power Bounce shoes.

Figure 1. Ground Reaction Force for Conventional (Control) and Power Bounce (PB) Shoes at 3 Speeds

Figure 2 also shows that the impact force is greater for the name-brand shoe. These results clearly demonstrate the superior cushioning and shock protection of shoes with Power Bounce inserts. Of particular importance is the fact that this ratio significantly increased as the speed of the runner increased.

Figure 2. Ratio (Conventional/Power Bounce) for Impact Force Magnitude

.
Overall, these results confirm the experiences of a growing number of runners who have tried Power Bounce shoes for comfort, injury prevention, and speed in their training and racing.

Dr. Benno Nigg is Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Calgary, and Co-Director of the Human Performance Laboratory. He is recognized worldwide as a leading authority on running shoe mechanics. His work has resulted in over 280 publications, and numerous awards for excellence, see the link below.
.
The University of Calgary’s Human Performance Laboratory was founded in 1981 by Professor Nigg. The laboratory seeks to understand the basics of human mobility and to transfer this knowledge to the general public to allow them to be active and mobile throughout their life span.

University Of Calgary Human Performance Laboratory

Professor Benno Nigg