10010851Body Rocket: Real-time measurement of aerodynamic drag for athletesClosedFeasibility StudiesInnovate UKBody Rocket will revolutionise aerodynamic drag measurement (CdA) for the global sports cycling market with a unique patented sensing system and approach that offers accurate, cost-effective, on-bike measurement. It will be the world's first on-bike device capable of offering wind-tunnel-precise measurement, allowing aero to move out of the wind tunnel and onto the road, where cyclists actually ride. Wind tunnel and velodrome-based services are the current options for accurate determination of CdA. With very limited capacity and high cost these are only accessible to a small proportion of elite athletes. Improving performance is the goal of all of the over 6 million competitive racing cyclists and 1.5 million triathletes worldwide but interest in going faster, quantifying and comparing performance extends to the mass market of tens of millions more non-racing cyclists. This is evidenced by the growth of the power meter market and ride logging and comparison platform, Strava. Interest in aero specifically is demonstrated by the massive growth in aero-framed road bikes and other equipment but these only account for a small proportion of overall cyclist drag. With over 80% of aerodynamic drag down to your body (position, clothing, movement) there are much greater gains to be had. Where power meters helped cyclists to train to work harder to generate more speed, the CdA measurement system helps the rider generate greater speed for less effort by smarter positioning i.e. free speed. Demand is validated via athlete surveys, industry support and development partnerships as well as investor commitment. Body Rocket has demonstrated the feasibility of the concept/methodology and validated this with full-scale athlete-on-bicycle testing in a wind tunnel but requires further sensor innovation, road testing and data analytics to implement a practical cost-effective road-usable solution.