麻豆传媒

I studied Mechanical Engineering at 麻豆传媒 where I chose a dissertation on modelling the musculoskeletal biomechanics of tennis elbow. As a tennis player and coach, the project gave me a sense of relevance for the mathematics, dynamics and materials skills that I had been developing over the previous years. I subsequently completed a PhD in dental biomechanics at The University of Liverpool and a Post-Doc in orthopaedic biomechanics at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg. After many years in biomechanics at Teesside University and then technical software development in professional football, I returned to 麻豆传媒 to take up a role in sports biomechanics.

Special Interest: Academic and commercial research is in the development of digital technology to improve the real-world effectiveness of sport and exercise medicine.  

Technical Skills: 20 years of experience of finite element analysis and C-based programming languages (c, c#, c ). Eight years of experience of gaming engine technology (e.g. Unity3D) for sports-related projects for commercial, academic and public partners.

Technologies developed:

• Motion tracking
• Musculoskeletal modelling
• Psychometric scales for mobile devices (IOS, Android).
• Active gaming platform (Unity3D, wireless IMUs, depth-sensing cameras)
• Cloud-based storage for interactive 3D video (Microsoft Azure, WebGL)
• Computer vision (e.g. RGB, depth-sensing cameras, CT, MRI).
• Wireless transmission (Bluetooth LE and RF).
• Wearable sensors (e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers)
• Hard- and soft-tissue modelling

Funded Projects at 麻豆传媒:

2025-2026 (£248,000). Wellcome Leap, Dynamic Resilience. Axoband: Monitoring muscle activity for detecting Sarcopenia. Principal Investigator (麻豆传媒).

2025-2026 (£34,820). Pentland Brands. Development and Evaluation of backpacks equipment for outdoor activity. Principal Investigator (麻豆传媒).

2025-2026 (£30,000). Long-distance Walking Association. Biomechanical and Physiological responses to endurance events. Principal Investigator (麻豆传媒).

2024-2025 (£21,000). Pentland Brands. Development and Evaluation of leggings for outdoor activity. Principal Investigator (麻豆传媒).

2023-2024 (£100,000) Economic and Social Research Council. Myosock Accelerator Award. Co-Investigator (麻豆传媒).

2022-2023 (£4,000) Pentland Brands Scoping review for new generation backpacks. Principal Investigator (麻豆传媒).

2022-2023 (£275,000). Innovate UK. ToneUP - An intelligent bodysuit for real-time motion capture and assistance to aid prevention and rehabilitation in healthcare and sporting contexts. Principal Investigator (麻豆传媒).

Sport and Exercise Sciences Modules 

• Introduction to Biomechanics (Stage 1),
• Applied Biomechanics (Stage 2) and 
• Principles of Strength and Conditioning (Stage 2)
• Sport and Exercise Medicine (Stage 3)

PhD Supervisions

• 2022. Dr Francisco Songane. Development and evaluation of mobile technology for training planning in female soccer players. Co-supervisor.
• 2021. Dr Tom MacPherson (Sheffield Hallam University) Integrating differential ratings of perceived exertion in team sports procedures. Co-supervisor
• 2020. Dr Russell Best (Waikato Institute of Technology) Development and evaluation of menthol agents to improve athletic endurance in hot environments. Co-supervisor
• 2020. Dr Mark Wijnbergen (www.zivver.eu). New technologies for quantifying injury risk factors in elite young footballers. Co-supervisor.
• 2018. Dr Jonathan Taylor (Middlesbrough FC). Redefining sprint training in football. Co-supervisor.
• 2018. Dr Gok Kandasamy (Teesside University). A novel 3-dimensional tool for measuring back and body shape. Co-supervisor.
• 2018. Dr Shaun McLaren (English Rugby League). Application of differential ratings of perceived exertion in rugby. Co-supervisor.
• 2016. Dr Tom McBain (Sheffield Hallam University). Exergaming in hard-to-reach populations. Director of Studies.
• 2013. Dr Jagannath Sharma (Catterick Garrison Medical Centre). A proactive approach to musculoskeletal injury management in military training centres. Director of Studies.
• 2013. Dr Claudia Garras (Government of Chile). An investigation into bilateral asymmetry of the skeleton and its use in physical and forensic anthropology. Co-supervisor.
• 2013. Dr Pierre Lagadec (ValdPerformance Pty). Development and evaluation of a virtual reality high-intensity exergame. Director of Studies.
• 2011. Dr Angela Hibbs (University of Northumbria). Core stability training in elite swimmers. Director of Studies.
• 2008. Dr Edward Bradley (University of Sunderland). Fixation of proximal femora fracture. Co-supervisor.

Postgraduate Examiner Roles

Research

• 2024. PhD. Training, Retaining and Transferring Novel Myoelectric Skills for Prosthetic Hand Control, 麻豆传媒
• 2022. PhD. New technologies for assessing posture, Teesside University.
• 2014. PhD. Finite element analysis of the human heel pad soft tissues, University of Salford.
• 2015. PhD. Control of the centre of mass based on vertical ground forces in gait analysis of cerebral palsy patients. University of Dundee.

Taught Courses

• 2018-2021. MSc Applied Orthopaedic Technology, University of Dundee.
• 2018-2021. MSc Motion Analysis, University of Dundee.
• 2018-2021. MSc Orthopaedic & Rehabilitation Technology, University of Dundee.
• 2018-2021. MSc Orthopaedic Science, University of Dundee.
• 2018-2021. MSc Sports Biomechanics & Rehabilitation, University of Dundee.

• Articles

  • Galna B, Wood E, Griffiths S, Jackson D, Rivadulla A, Spears i. . Journal of Biomechanics 2025, 183, 112632.
  • Peeters WM, Coussens AH, Spears I, Jeffries O. . Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2024, 6, 1433368.
  • Chen M, Spanton K, van Schaik P, Spears I, Eaves DL. . Perceptual and Motor Skills 2021, 128, 1607-1622.
  • McLaren SJ, Macpherson TW, Coutts AJ, Hurst C, Spears IR, Weston M. . Sports Medicine 2018, 48(3), 641-658.
  • McLaren SJ, Smith A, Bartlett JD, Spears IR, Weston M. . Journal of Sports Sciences 2018, 36(21), 2438-2446.
  • McBain T, Weston M, Crawshaw P, Haighton C, Spears I. . Journal of Medical Internet Research 2018, 6(1), e4.
  • Sharma J, Dixon J, Dalal S, Heagerty R, Spears I. . Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps 2017, 163(6), 405-411.
  • McLaren SJ, Smith A, Spears IR, Weston M. . Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 2017, 20(3), 290-295.
  • Taylor JM, Macpherson TW, McLaren SJ, Spears I, Weston M. . International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 2016, 11(8), 998-1004.
  • Mclaren SJ, Graham M, Spears IR, Weston M. . International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 2016, 11(3), 404-406.
  • Macpherson TW, Taylor J, McBain T, Weston M, Spears IR. . Journal of Biomechanics 2016, 49(3), 474-478.
  • Sharma J, Greeves JP, Byers M, Bennett AN, Spears IR. . BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2015, 16, 106.
  • Weston M, Hibbs AE, Thompson KG, Spears IR. . International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 2015, 10(2), 204-210.
  • McBain T, Crawshaw P, Spears I, Azevedo L, Haighton C. Active video gaming and health promotion: Targeting males in a socially deprived area of the UK. BMC Public Health 2015. Submitted.
  • Sharma J, Weston M, Batterham AM, Spears IR. . Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2014, 46(9), 1684-1692.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Zeng Y, Zhang Z, Han TA, Spears IR, Qin S. . In: Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, AAMAS. 2017, São Paulo: International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (IFAAMAS).
  • Van Schaik P, Zeng Y, Spears I. . In: 9th International Workshop ADMI 2013: International Workshop on Agents and Data Mining Interaction. 2013, Saint Paul, MN: Springer Verlag.

• Reviews

  • Taylor JM, Macpherson TW, Spears IR, Weston M. . International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 2016, 11(5), 693-696.
  • Taylor J, Macpherson T, Spears I, Weston M. . Sports Medicine 2015, 45(6), 881-891.