Track and field starting blocks performance: Assessment of an alternative measurement system for evaluating upper limbs contribution

This work aims to evaluate the feasibility of a new measurement system based on off-The-shelf pressure map sensors to investigate the upper limbs' contribution to the first phase of the sprint start, a topic poorly studied in the literature. An instrumented pedal was used as a reference to measure the lower limbs' force and detect the reaction time, following the regulations and standards of the racing. As a main result of the performed activity, the reaction times measured with the reference and the proposed system are compared, to assess the validity of the standard metrics to detect false starts and general contribution given by the force exerted by the upper limbs at the starting.