Athletic and clinical testing has traditionally been performed in the laboratory where the required instrumentation is available and the environmental conditions can be easily controlled. Treadmills, swimming flumes, cycling and rowing machines replace the usual athletic environment allowing athletes to remain in near stationary condition so that they can be more easily assessed. Ventilators can be used to monitor lung function and consumption of oxygen. High-speed video cameras look at the footfalls and gait characteristics of a running athlete. Periodic sampling can monitor blood chemistry. The need for the assessment to be laboratory based has largely been driven by technological limitations, monitoring equipment in general is big bulky and can't be transported to the race trace and certainly can't follow the athlete around the track.
However by taking advantage of advancements in microelectronics and other micro technologies it is possible to build instrumentation that is small enough to be unobtrusive for a number of sporting and clinical applications. Pedometers, heart rate monitors and trip computers for bicycles today are common place and represent some of the earliest technological innovations popular with elite and recreation athletes alike. Today the humble pedometer is finding a new use for elite athletes, now able to measure one thousandth of force due to gravity in all three dimensions as well as rotational forces these devices can be attached all over an athlete to monitor the movement of individual limbs hundreds of times a second. A runner, swimmer or rower wearing these devices can have examined in detail their performance on the track or even on race day itself.
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