gatorade

The Score

The Newest Performance Booster

A sensor that measures electrolyte levels in real-time could help athletes optimize on the go

The Biotex Sensor: Photo by BioTex
Gatorade goes to great lengths to determine if “It” is in you. Sweat patches slapped on Maria Sharapova and Tiger Woods provide before and after snapshots of electrolyte levels and sweat rate. But, what about during competition? Swiss company Biotex is developing a garment with wireless sensors embedded in the lower back to provide real-time values for similar metrics. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic material draws the sweat into flexible sensors just two millimeters thick and a few square centimeters. Data can be stored for future analysis or transmitted to wireless phones or PDAs so athletes know to hit the water fountain before it’s too late.

“It’s like driving a car around town, if you don’t watch your gas gauge it will be too late and you’ll be empty,” said Project Coordinator Jean Luprano. “You need to know whether to slow down or if you can go faster.”

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The Score

Inside Sharapova's Hydration Experiment

Our ace reporter sleuths out the secret electrolyte formula that keeps Maria swinging

Over the years, researchers at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) have tested hundreds of elite and recreational athletes to better understand hydration. A few months back they stepped on court to analyze the sweat of the worlds fifth ranked womens tennis player, Maria Sharapova. Tiger Woods went through a similar regimen in creating his own custom Gatorade formula, with fancy flavors set to launch this month. Ongoing tests on NFL and NHL players offer similar personalized suggestions on what to drink and when.

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Adventures in Excercise: The Underwater Treadmill

85865hydr1The idea makes sense: You're moving your legs, working your muscles, but since you're in water, you're doing so without the pounding of a regular run, whether that be on a treadmill or the road, with the added benefit of increased resistance from the water. Still, Hydrophysio's aquatic treadmill looks a bit over-the-top. Not to mention that it would give the less dedicated among us too much opportunity to back out and think of something else to do while waiting for the machine to fill up with fluid. Now, if it doubled as a jacuzzi, so you could finish your workout, grab some Gatorade, and then return a few minutes later to find it warm and bubbling, that would be something. One bonus: It works for rehabbing your pets, too. So, you know, you could walk your dog, in the water, without going outside. Because that's what technology's for. —Gregory Mone



Via Medgadget


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