Thermal Imaging: Innovation Pushing the Boundaries of the Sports World

Having established itself in a wide range of markets, thermal imaging is now gaining popularity in the world of sports and the pursuit of superior performance. Infrared technology can be used in many applications in sports medicine, such as analyzing changes in body temperature to improve recovery time and gaining a clearer understanding of the effects of physical activity on the body.

But thermal imaging equipment can also assess or push the limits of machine performance while improving safety in motorsports such as cycling, open-wheel racing, and superbike racing.

This article takes an in-depth look at how innovative infrared solutions are pushing the boundaries of the sports world.

- Thermoregulation as a pathway to performance

As athletes push their bodies through high-intensity training, medical supervision is key to producing real results. Training sessions can raise temperatures in some parts of the body above 37℃, especially the joints and muscles. Examining these temperature changes in more detail can help reduce recovery time and improve future performance.

The sports world can take advantage of the valuable advances that thermal imaging has made in recent years to accurately analyze the body's thermoregulatory mechanisms and use these findings to help athletes take their performance to the next level. Manufacturers have also used this intel to develop a new range of high-tech sportswear and footwear to improve temperature regulation and comfort for athletes across a wide range of disciplines.

- Thermoregulation to avoid injury

Infrared technology allows sports professionals to examine localized temperature changes with the goal of assessing how a training session affects joints and muscles. They can also see changes that occurred during recovery.

Higher skin temperatures in these areas of the body can be a telltale sign that the recovery process is not complete, meaning that therapists and coaches can adjust athletes' training until their skin temperature returns to baseline levels.

Gaining insight into the body's thermal response and vasodilation mechanisms can provide medical technology teams with valuable insights into an athlete's fitness level and ability to undergo a high-intensity training regimen.

Regular use of thermal imaging during training can help determine an athlete's thermal profile. The areas that work the most and are most prone to injury will receive greater scrutiny to assess any vulnerability and fine-tune workout and recovery time accordingly.

Medically speaking, the ability to prevent injuries is a valuable solution to protecting athletes from injury or at least reducing its severity. The prospect also has important financial implications, given the potential lost revenue for top athletes when they miss out due to injury. Professional football is a good example of why infrared technology has become a major ally in the field of preventive sports medicine.

- Monitor temperature changes to determine athlete fatigue. The technology uses thermal imaging to prevent injuries from occurring.

- Monitoring skin temperature to identify changes in blood flow can help pinpoint internal injuries. Infrared technology is able to detect inflammation caused by muscle damage and/or internal bleeding. According to recent research, symmetrical extremities have the same skin temperature under normal conditions (without injury). Differences in temperature can be warning signs for athletes of potential physical trauma or physical injury, such as a muscle strain.

- Monitoring tire and brake temperature: In motorsports, especially open-wheel racing, component temperature, overheating, and overcooling are major challenges affecting performance, durability, and safety. Drivers need to keep tired and brake temperatures within their ideal operating range.

Thermal imaging helps them keep an eye on temperatures and warns them before parts start to overheat. If fans can see a car's tire wear and temperature while learning in real-time how a driver handles such issues, they can have a more immersive experience at a race.

- Improved mechanical performance: Technicians can also use thermal imaging to see the vehicle's air and exhaust flow routes. The result can play a major role in improving aerodynamic efficiency and generating downforce.

Finally, the technology could also be used to analyze a car's power output in real-time to prevent engine or electrical system failures.

Infrared technology is starting to build some sort of track record in detecting and preventing incidents of mechanical doping, especially in cycling.

- Spotting tiny electric motors hidden inside bicycle frames: Thermal imaging could make the daily work of anti-doping teams easier and create a more level playing field between athletes competing in the same competition.

Thermal imaging is leveraging recent technological breakthroughs to support the changes sweeping the sports world. The challenge of preventative sports medicine and shortening recovery time is of paramount importance in a fast-growing industry that generates large revenue streams. Therefore, it is crucial to keep athletes from injury and protect their performance by taking care of their well-being and health. Infrared technology is one solution.

As for motorsports, thermal imaging has cemented its reputation as a key ally in those looking to push the limits of performance.

To learn more about infrared technology and its countless applications, or to order a thermal imaging camera, please contact us.

JAVOL is a professional custom infrared thermal imaging equipment manufacturer. Relying on the multi-spectral high-sensitivity photoelectric sensor chip of advanced compound semiconductor materials, with the deep learning AI algorithm as the engine, it integrates low-light night vision technology, infrared thermal imaging technology, short-wave infrared technology, Multi-spectral technology in one fusion technology, our company designs, develops and manufactures advanced imaging products and system solutions, which are widely used in machine vision, automatic driving, drone payloads, high-end manufacturing, medical diagnosis and other fields.