In a world first, the University of Queensland (UQ), using technology from Irish SportsTech company DANU Sports, has launched a pioneering research trial to transform a Brisbane mountain trail into a living biomechanics laboratory, bringing scientific-grade analysis to the real-world environment of trail running.
This groundbreaking project created by UQ Research Fellow Dr. Raimundo Sanchez is studying gait transitions, the precise moments when trail runners switch between walking and running. The research will contrast lab-derived metrics with those obtained on real terrain.
This is only possible because Dr. Sanchez undertook another global first recently by standardising 1 km of running trail in Mt. Coot-tha in Brisbane to scientific standards using high-precision geospatial tools.
The implications for coaches, sports scientists, and Olympic bodies are far-reaching, especially as trail running prepares a bid for exhibition sport status at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"For the very first time anywhere in the world, we are bringing scientific control and precision to an outdoor trail running environment," explains Dr. Sanchez. "By enabling true locomotion studies in the wild, we can more accurately reflect the unique challenges and experiences of trail runners who travel over constantly changing terrain."
The study involves 15 athletes undergoing biomechanical analysis in both UQ's laboratory and on Mt. Coot-tha. The dual-setting design allows researchers to compare two key performance measures:
- Preferred Transition Speed (PTS): the speed at which an athlete naturally switches gaits
- Optimal Transition Speed (OTS): the speed that is most biomechanically efficient
In the lab, participants run on a treadmill at four incline settings (0°, 5°, 10°, and 15°, equivalent to 0%, 8.75%, 17.63%, and 26.79% grade). The same runners are then analysed on the standardised outdoor trail under natural conditions, with data captured using a sophisticated suite of wearable technology.
At the heart of this innovation is DANU Sports' next-generation gait analysis system, including their FDA-approved smart socks. Equipped with integrated inertial measurement units and 15 pressure sensors per sock, the technology provides a level of real-time, real-world detail previously only possible in labs. The system is complemented by high-precision GPS for slope and velocity, chest straps for heart rate, and proprietary algorithms for gait cycle modelling.
"This research is a paradigm shift for all athletes, not just trail runners," says Oisín Lennon, CEO of DANU Sports. "We're delivering lab-grade biomechanics out in the field. For sports federations and performance programs, that means truly understanding how athletes move under the pressures and conditions they actually compete in."
Now halfway through data collection, the study is already attracting interest from international academic and sporting organisations seeking more ecologically valid insights into endurance performance, injury risk, and gait strategy.
Beyond elite sport, DANU's platform is also gaining traction across rehabilitation, orthopedics, neurodegenerative disease research, and sports medicine,bridging the gap between movement science and practical application.
About us:
The DANU analysis system empowers coaches and athletes with smart performance and injury analysis through unrestricted, scientifically validated movement analysis through non-invasive technology that achieves lab-grade accuracy. https://www.danusports.com/
