Facilities
The School of Sport Science and Physical Activity houses a multi-million pound Physical Education and Sport Science Centre.
This includes a state of the art teaching and research sport sciences lab facility, a national standard sport arena providing multiple teaching spaces and a hosting venue for national level indoor team sport competitions and a fully-equipped modern fitness suite.
Physical Activity and Exercise Physiology
The Facilities have received accreditation by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science as a Sport and Exercise Laboratory (Research and Scientific Support)
These areas are very well supplied with equipment such as:
- Motorised treadmills: Clinical Woodway’s, HP Cosmos Pulsar (with safety harness)
- Non-motorised treadmills: Woodway curve and Woodway force 3.0.
- Cycle ergometers (Monark)
- Lode Cycle and Arm ergometers with associated software
- Watt bike Pro’s and software
- Concept 2 Rowing ergometers
- Servomex oxygen and carbon dioxide analysers
- Online gas analysis systems (Cortex MetaLyser and MetaMax)
- Douglas bag gas collection system
- Powerlab computerised physiological data collection system
- Body composition analysis equipment: Underwater weighing tank, Seca mBCA, Harpenden skinfold callipers, Bodystat, Tanita scales
- Blood analysis equipment: Biosen blood lactate and glucose analyser, YSI Stat Plus blood lactate and glucose analysers, Lactate Pro2, Hemocue haemoglobin photometer, Hawksley haematocrit centrifuge, Cholestec LDX cholesterol analyser, Reflotron, Freestyle Libre glucose monitoring system
- Polar Team Pro GPS and heart rate monitoring system
- Physical activity monitors: Actiheart, Actigraph and ActivPAL systems
- Ice Baths, neck cooling collars, Ice vests
- Echocardiographs Vivid 7, portable Vivid i, and HDI 3000CV
- Muscle stimulation equipment
- Isokinetic dynamometers: Kin Com and Biodex
- iDXA Lunar Prodigy (bone mineral and body composition measuremement)
- E-Bike
- Blood pressure monitors: Sphygmomanometers, OMRON automatic, and Bluetooth monitors
- 12 lead ECG machines
- Transcranial direct current stimulator
- Cognitive function software
Environmental Physiology
- Environmental chamber
- Wireless temperature control (0 to 40ₒC)
- Humidity control (up to 80% RH)
- Oxygen level control (down to 12%)
- Portable hypoxicator
- Skin and core body temperature monitoring equipment
- Pulse Oximeters (blood oxygen saturation monitoring)
- Urine Osmolality monitors
Movement Science / Biomechanics areas
A large, dedicated, visual data capture area with specialist lighting and recording equipment for 2D or 3D work with >4.5 meter vertical clearance.
The area is well supplied with equipment such as:
- Video background wall, blackout background curtains, variable lighting
- Quintic motion analysis system
- Hawk 3D motion analysis
- High speed video camcorders
- Retractable netting enclosure.
- Kistler force plates with Bioware and MARS software
- Kistler portable load cell and accelerometer
- Ballistic Measurement system – measuring force, velocity and acceleration for any given training task
- Kin Com and Biodex Isokinetic dynamometers
- Optojump gait and movement analysis system
- RS Footscan – measuring gait and centre of pressure
- Biometrics DataLog and DataLink systems – including EMG and electronic goniometers
Strength and Conditioning
- Olympic platform and rack
- Smiths Machine
- Bench and free weights
- Flexibility and strength measuring and recording devices
- SmartSpeed training and timing system
- Brower timing systems
Molecular Physiology Research Labs
- Safety cabinets
- Fume hood
- CO2 incubator
- Hand held flow cytomter, cell counting
- Light microscope
- Centrifuges (refrigerated)
- DNA/RNA isolation and quantification
- Automated PCR robot for assay setup
- Real-time PCR machine for analysis of RNA/DNA for genotyping (for analysis of genetic profile of athletes/patients etc., also for gene expression and DNA methylation from blood, cells or tissue.
- ELISA plate reader BioRad molecular imager
- Tecan Infinite F200 Pro
address
Institute for Sport & Physical Activity Research
University of Bedfordshire
Pollhill Avenue
Bedford
MK41 9EA