TeamNL aims for gold thanks to THUAS

That includes the perfect seating position in a sports wheelchair. These chairs are fully custom-welded which sounds ideal, but it comes with one major drawback: once the chair is built, you can’t change much about it. That’s why Karen van Stein and Rienk van der Slikke, from the Human Kinetic Engineering program, joined forces with NOC*NSF. The result: the innovative TeamNL Test Wheelchair.

Athletes only receive a new wheelchair once every few years. Because a wrong choice can hinder performance for a long time, they’re often hesitant to experiment. They tend to choose a familiar setup, which means they might never reach their absolute optimum.

Measuring instrument

To break through this barrier, they developed the TeamNL Test Wheelchair. Because of all its adjustable bolts, nuts, and clamps, the wheelchair is 25% heavier than a regular sports wheelchair and therefore not suitable for competitions. Karen explains: “The test wheelchair serves as a measuring instrument, just like a treadmill in a running store where you test new shoes. We can now put athletes in extreme positions and test precisely what works best before the real wheelchair is built.”

Data instead of gut feeling

As a lecturer and researcher, Rienk has spent more than ten years measuring wheelchair performance using sensors. For this project, he developed a dashboard that displays real‑time performance data from the test wheelchair. “If we position someone higher, lower, or further forward in the chair, we can measure exactly how that affects speed, acceleration, and maneuverability”, says Rienk. “A defender may need the fastest chair to block opponents, while an attacker might want to sit as high as possible for an optimal shot. We can now optimize these choices using data.”

A unique opportunity for our students

Although the wheelchair was developed for elite-level sports and is frequently used by tennis players, basketball players, and rugby players preparing for major tournaments such as the Paralympic Games, the project also has a significant impact on education at THUAS.

“It offers endless possibilities for the university”, Karen emphasizes. “Students in Human Kinetic Engineering can use this wheelchair throughout their learning process to translate human movement analysis into actual design.” Rienk also sees the added value for the curriculum: “It’s fantastic that we can bring our scientific knowledge directly into sports practice. This allows students to be actively involved in the projects we conduct for elite athletes. The fact that they can work with such an advanced wheelchair at this scale is truly unique in the world.”