A look at the past

Welcome to “50 Years of Biomechanics and Kinesiology at the Institute of Sports Science.” The pictures on the walls offer a brief glimpse into the development of the Kinesiology department—its research topics and the people involved—over the past fifty years.

In 1975, Prof. Baumann was appointed to the newly created professorship in Biomechanics and Kinesiology. In 1979, Prof. Nicol took over the research group as the “Laboratory for Applied Biomechanics” and began, among other things, researching the loading and stress on biological materials. Third-party funded research played an important role. Due to the lack of a large laboratory, measurements took place at various locations: in the main hall, on the second floor of the building, and in the small laboratory in the basement. Starting in 1993, measurements were also taken in the track and field hall, where several force plates were embedded in the floor. 
Technical limitations at the time allowed only for the measurement of external forces. Research was still “manual labor”—so the first tools for measuring pressure distribution, e.g., under the sole of the foot or on mattresses, had to be crafted by hand. The work, however, was recognized with several awards.
And the most important scientific findings were still presented on posters.