During Nike's big reveal of its Nature Amplified products this week, the sportswear giant also opened up its state-of-the-art Nike Sport Research Lab to visitors for the first time. The experiment-driven data collection facility in Portland, Oregon, is where all Nike prototypes are tested, developed and adjusted, using its stock of professional athletes.
The 16,000 square foot research building features a running track and basketball court that are both rigged up to monitoring technologies, which allow scientists and engineers to collect and study every statistic imaginable that could affect a sportsperson's performance.
On the running track, 3D motion sensors generate avatars to visualise the biomechanics and physiology of a runner's gait and posture. In the basketball court, pressure plates measure the force exerted by a player before he leaps into a dunk, while advanced motion capture technology allows coaches and scientists to monitor every twist and turn of the ankle or foot in mid-air.
In anticipation of the upcoming winter and summer Olympics, Nike has built two environmental chambers that are able to replicate the frost of Sochi or the humidity of Rio, right in the heart of Oregon. Each result in turn informs the development of apparel, footwear and equipment, which are then repeatedly tried and tested until they hit the mark.
US hurdler Aries Merritt and his digital avatar
High-speed video cameras in the Motion Capture Lab collect video 1,000 times faster than a standard video camera, allowing scientists to monitor every twist and turn of the ankle or foot. Pressure plates also measure the force exerted by a player before he leaps into a dunk
3D foot scanners are used to generate data and insights about athletes' feet
In anticipation of the upcoming winter and summer Olympics, Nike has built two environmental chambers that are able to replicate the frost of Sochi or the humidity of Rio, right in the heart of Oregon. Here, manikin 'Hal' is tested in one of the chambers
A physiology test is conducted in an environmental chamber
Research conducted at the NSRL informs footwear innovation at Nike
Foot lasts are the foundation of every shoe
3D printing allows designers to experience their 2D designs in 3D for the first time
Researchers at the NSRL conduct an in-shoe pressure test
-
What not to miss at NYCxDesign 2025, according to our editorsFrom mega furniture fairs to can't-miss parties, here's what to catch at North America's biggest celebration of design
-
These Loro Piana sunglasses are inspired by the house’s superlative garmentsContinuing the house’s continent-crossing journey to find the very best materials – from Mongolia to New Zealand – Loro Piana’s new sunglasses collection takes it to Japan, where the first titanium frames were made in the 1980s
-
How to build a home wine cellarOur resident drinks writer takes us through his own experiences on building the dream wine cellar at home including his favourite wines to stock up on now
