Collaboration between academia and industry could give Irish sprinters an edge at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles

Elite Irish sprinters participating in a study at Lero, one of the world’s leading software research centres at the University of Limerick, to determine the effectiveness of super spike sprint shoes, could boost their chances of success at the 2028 Olympics.

Lero researchers at the University of Limerick’s Sport and Human Performance Research Centre (SHPRC) have embarked on the research in collaboration with innovative Irish sports analytics company DANU are still recruiting elite Irish athletes to use DANU’s groundbreaking wearable smart socks technology to capture and analyse athlete-specific data, focusing on the biomechanical assessment of super spike shoes.

Professor Ian Kenny questioned whether athletes at the 2024 Olympics choose super spikes due to sponsorship deals or for their technological benefits and injury prevention.

“Using real-world metrics on the track and not the lab, we will gain key insights into the benefits of DANU’s technology, super spikes, and their impact on our elite sprinters – gaining a fraction of a second could give an Irish athlete a podium finish and a medal,” he added.

Lero researcher Shane Hassett said the research will quantify performance outcomes such as speed, ground contact time, flight time, muscle activation, and ankle kinematics to distinguish super spike shoes from other running spikes.

“We will investigate if the DANU sports system can be used to monitor biomechanical changes in gait when wearing the super spike shoes, focusing on how specific components biomechanically change an athlete’s sprint profile,” he added.

DANU founder and CEO Oisín Lennon said they are delighted to continue their collaboration with the University of Limerick and LERO, who he described as leaders in software and research innovation.

“UL supported us in our early development, playing a vital role in validating our technology and shaping the direction of our platform. That early partnership was instrumental in helping us move from concept to a scientifically grounded product.

“Now, it’s incredibly rewarding to see LERO and UL using our technology to drive groundbreaking research in elite sprinting – pushing the limits of what’s possible in biomechanics and performance science.

“Collaborating with researchers of this calibre not only validates our approach but also ensures we stay at the forefront of innovation. We’re excited to contribute to work that has the potential to impact sport at the highest level.”

How Can AI Help Footwear Retailers Grow Their Shoe Business?

Do you want to launch a shoe company? So, if you want to succeed in the fashion industry. You must adapt to changing trends and use useful AI. This article will examine how AI may assist shoe retailers in growing their companies.

What Is the Use of AI in the Fashion Industry?

AI can help you to do better customer service. It can automatically do tasks as well as improve your inventory handling. AI has the potential to transform the fashion industry by improving company processes, generating innovation, and improving the customer experience.

AI also assists designers in making new designs as to the Fashion trend. This may result in procedures for developing more useful and efficient products.

How Can AI Help Retailers to Grow Their Shoe Business?

Fashion Prediction

AI can determine what kind of styles, colors, and patterns will be in fashion in the future by analyzing a large quantity of data on consumer preferences, fashion trends, and previous sales figures.

This can assist stores in making smart choices regarding the shoes they stock, the quantity of inventory they maintain, and the marketing techniques they use.

Inventory Management

Artificial Intelligence-powered inventory management systems can check sales data and trends. And seasonality to forecast client demand for certain items. Retailers may reduce overstocking and supply shortages by matching inventory levels to consumer demand.

Stock shortages can result in lost sales opportunities and lower customer satisfaction, whereas overstocking can raise storage the handling expenses and the danger of unsold inventory.

Customer Service

Ai provides the best customer services as virtual assistance to our customers by solving their problems or providing technical support about any shoe they want to buy.

Retailers may offer 24/7 customer support with AI-powered Chabot’s and virtual assistants, which can increase customer happiness and loyalty. Because these systems can handle several inquiries simultaneously, wait times are less, and customers have a better overall experience.

The possibility of a sale can be increased by the personal suggestions they can make based on a customer’s past purchases, interests, and browsing habits.

Personalized Recommendations

AI algorithms may scan a result in excessive consumer data, including survey factors, purchase history, and browsing history. To understand a client’s interests and make tailored product suggestions.

By doing this, retailers may provide clients with a more personalized purchasing experience, boosting client happiness and loyalty. Moreover, personalized product recommendations can also increase the likelihood of a sale.

By suggesting shoe styles like shoe charms for Crocs, boots, or any other type that are more likely to fit the customer’s style and preferences, retailers can reduce the time and effort required for customers to find what they are looking for.

Conclusion

AI can help footwear retailers grow their shoe business by utilizing reducing algorithms and data analytics to optimize company processes, boost sales, and improve the customer experience.

Using Ai, we can manage inventory and Fashion predictions like colors or design providers according to the market trend. Ai also provides a Chabot for customer service by solving their queries and working 24/7.

The last feature of AI we discuss is very useful. It provides personalized advice to customers by analyzing their need for Nike shoes or any fashion footwear or wants to adopt any fashion like shoe charms on Crocs, AI helps.