Nike Sport Research Lab
Established1980 (1980)
Research typeSports equipment, sportswear
LocationBeaverton, Oregon, USA
Operating agency
Nike, Inc.
Websiteabout.nike.com

The Nike Sport Research Lab is a research and development institute located in Beaverton in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1980, the lab is owned by American apparel and footwear maker Nike.[1] Commercials for the facility have featured famous NBA and PGA athletes talking positively about the products and the research behind them.

Details

The first Nike lab opened in 1980 in Exeter, New Hampshire.[1] The 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) Sport Research Lab is located in the Mia Hamm building at the company's headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.[2] The Nike campus spans a total of 213 acres (9,300,000 sq ft) on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area. They deal with creating new footwear from athletic endeavors like track and field, golf, and basketball. Equipment at the lab include a mannequin constructed of copper, motion capture rooms, and environmental chambers, among others.[3] The lab's facilities are also known as "the Kitchen" and "the Oven" (for most of their professional golf equipment). Nike Golf operates The Oven in Fort Worth, Texas, for developing golf clubs, while The Oven West in Oregon develops balls.[4]

The company has also been researching the Spark Suit. While production was expected to be completed in 2012, the fate of the Spark Suit is currently unknown.[5][6] The suit is essentially a wearable generator based on nanotechnology. The concept of the Spark Suit is to convert the movements of the wearer into electricity using nano-ion pumps.[5] This technology has a possible application in a hypothetical vehicle called the Nike ONE.[5] Due to the extra resistance caused by the electrical generator, the Spark Suit can be used to strategically impede movement.[5] It therefore might allow people to strategically build muscle mass and improve coordination,[5][6] as well as a weight loss tool. Massotherapists are also employed within the facility.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Nike Sport Research Lab Incubates Innovation". News. Nike, Inc. July 16, 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Newcomb, Tim. "A Look Inside the Nike Sports Research Lab". Popular Mechanics.
  3. ↑ Maxey, Kyle (August 2, 2013). "Designer Edge Image of the Day – The Nike Sports Research Lab". ENGINEERING.com, Inc. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  4. ↑ Kish, Matthew (November 22, 2013). "A peek inside Nike's top-secret golf ball lab". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Spark Suit information". Serious Wheels. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  6. 1 2 "Spark Suit information (second reference)". Diseno-Art. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  7. ↑ Hughes, Geoff, and Laura LaMena-Coll. "ON TRACK." (2007).

45°30′25″N 122°49′43″W / 45.506903°N 122.828479°W / 45.506903; -122.828479


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