Baseball is one of the most played sports in the world. It’s less popular in the Netherlands than in some other countries, yet we have the most successful baseball team in Europe. We were even world champions once, in 2011. Who knows, we may even be the talk of the town during the 2020 Olympic Games, when baseball will be reintroduced to the summer games. ‘But then we have to do everything in our power to keep our athletes free from injury,’ says Bart van Trigt, PhD candidate in the field of BioMechanical Engineering at TU Delft.

Sensors that can help prevent injuries.

TU Delft and the bicycle manufacturer Koninklijke Gazelle have developed a prototype of a bike with smart steering assistance that may help to reduce the number of falls with bicycles.

TU Delft students have devised and developed a method for detecting gene doping. This method, called ADOPE (Advanced Detection of Performance Enhancement) has the potential to combat the abuse of gene therapy in sport. Through this project, the students in the iGEM team aim to highlight how important it is that synthetic biology is used safely. They presented their idea at last week’s International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in Boston, winning prizes for their new application and product design.

The new MARCH III by TU Delft student team Project MARCH has won the Cybathlon Experience in Düsseldorf, the international obstacle race for exoskeletons. Entrants from several countries competed in the test of robotic harnesses for people with paraplegia, ending on 29 September. Together with ‘pilot’ Sjaan Quirijns, who has had paraplegia since 2000, MARCH III achieved the fastest time and the highest number of points. Thanks to improvements to the suit and intensive training of its wearer, the team successfully completed a four-obstacle course in just under 9.5 minutes. Project MARCH gained particular plaudits for the independent functioning of its device.