OpenLab
OpenLab
Welcome to the OpenLab "Sport and Movement"
Fortunately, our "Sport and Exercise" department was able to move into the premises in the newly constructed FT building at the end of 2024. This change offers great opportunities for both research and teaching, which should not only benefit our department.
We are now opening our doors to the OpenLab "Sport and Exercise" to make the diverse research opportunities of the OpenLab accessible to other interested parties. The aim is to promote interdisciplinary co-operation and thus create new synergies at the University of Oldenburg. Research projects and projects can either be realised together with our department or carried out independently.
Further information on the OpenLab can be found below. The possibilities of the OpenLab "Sport and Exercise" can be divided into an OpenResearchLab and an OpenTeachingLab.
If you have any questions or are interested, please contact the members of the department.
OpenResearchLab "Sport and Exercise"
The department's premises and available systems mainly enable research in the areas of motion analysis and eye movement analysis.
Movement analysis in the movement laboratory
The movement laboratory is the largest room in the building and offers numerous possibilities for the sport biomechanical analysis of movement. Various systems are available for recording both kinematic and kinetic data. These include a marker-based system with 16 high-resolution infrared cameras (manufacturer: Vicon), a markerless system with 16 high-resolution video cameras (manufacturer: Qualisys or Theia) and two force plates (manufacturer: AMTI). In addition, these systems can be combined with mobile systems for measuring eye movement (manufacturer: PupilLabs, see below) and brain activity (EEG; manufacturer: mbraintrain). There is a permanently installed basketball hoop system and a mobile golf putting green in the laboratory. In addition, the open design of the laboratory enables research into a wide variety of movements by utilising the open space itself or installing other equipment (e.g. treadmill, handball goal, trampoline). In this way, the movement laboratory offers a wide range of opportunities to research various issues in the context of sports biomechanics, sports motor skills and sports psychology (e.g. perception-action coupling).
Mobile eye movement analysis in the laboratory and field
The mobile eye movement laboratory consists of three mobile systems for recording eye movements. An older system (manufacturer: SMI) and two new systems (manufacturer: PupilLabs) are available for these investigations both in the laboratory and in the field. The use of the mobile system enables eye movement analyses in contexts that are as representative as possible and thus research into issues close to sports practice.
Stationary eye movement analysis in the laboratory
A stationary eye movement system (manufacturer: Eyelink 1000 Plus) is available in the eye movement laboratory. This system can be used to analyse various questions relating to perception and decision-making in different contexts of sport and school. For example, the gaze behaviour of coaches during talent selection or of sports teachers during movement observation in the classroom context is researched on the basis of visual screen stimuli. Surveys can be realised on site at the university as well as externally in co-operation with seminars, clubs and associations. Further information on the use of mobile eye movement analysis in connection with large motor movements can be found in the information on the movement laboratory (see above).
Neuro-motor laboratory
The Neuro-Motor Laboratory is dedicated to researching the neuronal and muscular basis of human movement control. State-of-the-art measurement technology is used here to analyse processes that control the interaction between the brain, spinal cord and muscles. Our laboratory has a wide range of modern neurophysiological methods at its disposal: Magnetic stimulation (TMS, rPMS; manufacturer: Magventure), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS; manufacturer: brainstim), electromyography (EMG; manufacturer: biovison), transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES; manufacturer: digitimer) and high-voltage and computer-controlled stimulation systems (manufacturer: digitimer). In addition, muscular forces (manufacturer: kistler) can be measured. This combination makes it possible to specifically record cortical and spinal mechanisms of motor control. One research focus is on the investigation of neuroplastic adaptations that are triggered by training, learning processes or therapeutic interventions. Both sports science issues - such as performance optimisation and motor learning ability - and neurorehabilitative aspects, such as the recovery of movement functions after neurological damage, are taken into account.
The Neuro-Motor Laboratory is mainly run by Prof Dr Volker Zschorlich. Enquiries specifically about this laboratory can be addressed either directly to Prof Dr Zschorlich) or to the OpenLab laboratory manager Dr Till Koopmann (see below).
OpenTeachingLab "The moving classroom"
Many people do not get enough exercise, even though the benefits for health, well-being and cognitive performance have been widely researched and are widely known. The teaching and learning lab "The Moving Classroom" aims to change this, at least in the context of university teaching. Flexible and active(ing) "seating options" - such as Pezzi balls, desk bikes or standing desk tables (including treadmills) - are intended to enable movement during lectures. In the medium term, the teaching-learning lab will not only benefit students, but also school classes through programmes in the area of teacher training and teacher training courses. In addition to the teaching-learning lab (photos above and left), three separate small group labs are available for group work phases or similar, which can be connected by opening mobile partition walls.
