FAIL MODE AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA) APPLIED TO BIOFOOT/IBV2001 ® EQUIPMENT ADAPTATION FOR LONG JUMP

Abstract

Increasingly, techniques and instruments coming from different fields of science are being used in sports research. This study proposes the application of an engineering methodology, the FMEA, for the adaptation of a plantar pressure measurement device to its safe and reliable use in the long jump analysis. This project's aim is to analyse the possible failures of the measurement equipment when used for long jump study, propose and validate changes in the measure equipment and in the research protocol. The FMEA methodology allowed to identify and to give priority to ninety four possible failures and their effects. Sixty four of them were solved, the remaining were of very low importance. In any case, further improvements were envised to eliminate all those possible failures. A new plantar pressure measuring equipment and a modified study protocol were obtained as a result.