Post by Delft University of Technology

Last Saturday Edwin Scharp and Peter van Oossanen, Technicians at TU Delft, climbed up to a bridge above the route of the Rotterdam Marathon. Not to secure a front‑row seat at the Marathon, but to install sensors for research into heat stress.   The idea emerged in collaboration with Erasmus MC. During previous editions, they investigated which signals appear in runners experiencing heat stress, or worse, a heat stroke. A high body temperature is an (obvious) indicator. With heat sensors, the researchers hope to record the temperature of every participant.   Runners suffering from heat stress are also less alert. Spotting a lack of awareness in such a large crowd is difficult. But a solution has been devised, explains Winnie Daamen, Associate Professor at Transport and Planning TU Delft. “From traffic science, we know how to track the movements of pedestrians or cyclists. We now want to apply this to marathon runners. If a runner starts to sway in an irregular way, it may be a sign of heat stress. Combined with the temperature observations, we hope to identify runners entering the danger zone of heat stress on time.”   The aim during the Rotterdam Marathon is to determine whether the smart sensors can accurately capture observations at such a large running event. If the right data can be collected, medical teams at future races will be able to single out individual runners, allowing heat stress to be treated promptly. Thanks to the expertise of Erasmus MC colleagues and the many medical volunteers on site, it can improve the prevention of more serious outcomes. #university #technology #innovation #engineering #science #research