The purpose of the symposium is to bring (i) together the distinctive research communities working on soft materials such as hydrogels and hard materials such as sport equipment, and (ii) to identify synergies and strategies to use soft materials and additive manufacturing approaches (such as 3D printing) to bridge the gap in properties. Equipment improvement in sports such as surfing has seen an increase in the use of materials science and engineering methodologies. This ranges from understanding the mechanical flex in surfboards, the kinesiology of paddling, and the biomechanics of aerial landings to the use of new manufacturing techniques (such as additive manufacturing / 3D printing) and incorporation of computational fluid dynamics in the design of surfboards, fins and even wave pools. One of the key issues in sports is the mechanical mismatch between “hard” sports equipment and “softer” human operators. This mismatch is responsible for most of the sports injuries, when, for example, surfers collide with surfboards or surfboard fins. A particular focus will be the use of soft materials (such as hydrogels and thermoplastic polymers), which has attracted much attention during the last decades because of their wide range of applications in various fields. Better understanding of the behavior of soft materials will make it possible to identify the mechanisms that govern the lubricity and frictional response under dynamic sliding conditions such as those encountered in sports such as surfing, skiing, snowboarding and skating. The invited presentations will be given by leading researchers from academia, government laboratories, and industry. An important goal of the symposium is to promote collaboration across different disciplines such as materials science, physics, chemistry and engineering.

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