INVENTING THE FUTURE OF SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURES
R&D
Anticipating the challenges of tomorrow
Agronomy :
Reconciling high performance and respect for the environment
The ambition of our R&D team is to find solutions to reconcile antagonistic objectives: natural grass in good health despite intensive use; reasoned maintenance despite unfavorable climatic and microclimatic conditions (hydric stress, heat waves, shade from stands, ventilation deficit…); a soil that is favorable to the needs of the plant and at the same time to the sporting constraints.
As incorrigible optimists, we believe that scientific research is the key to finding solutions to most seemingly insoluble problems. Our current objectives: allowing the joint use of infrastructures, reducing water needs, increasing carbon storage in soils, aiming for zero phyto…
COLLECTING AND OPERATING AGRONOMIC DATA, TO OPTIMIZE MAINTENANCE
CREATING NEW PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE MEASUREMENT TOOLS
Our R&D team is developing new connected measurement tools for the maintenance of high-level pitches (connected weather stations, connected soil characterization tools, algorithmic software for disease prediction, etc.).
These allow us to:
- better understand the impact of maintenance operations on the growth and health of the grass
- set up more precise maintenance operations and aiming for a more reasoned maintenance
- understand more finely the context favorable to the outbreak of certain pathogens in order to improve the effectiveness of prophylactic approaches
The processing of data offers the groundsteam a finer knowledge of its actions, in order to fine-tune its maintenance, to better anticipate, and to optimise the management of its resources. We are convinced that these IoT tools and the exploitation of data that is made of them do not aim to replace the work of the groundsperson in the pitch, but on the contrary to support his action.
Biomechanics :
Safety & performance
top level surfaces
MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE MODELLING OF SOILS
Since the creation of the company and the development of the AirFibr rootzone, biomechanics has been at the heart of Natural Grass’ research strategy. In order to develop ever better and safer surfaces for athletes, we have been collaborating for years with renowned laboratories in the field of biomechanics: the Georges Charpak Institute of Human Biomechanics at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers (ENSAM), the Interuniversity Laboratory of Motor Biology (LIBM), and the Sport, Expertise and Performance Laboratory at INSEP.
These collaborative research programs have several ambitious objectives: to model and characterize the interaction between the surface and the athlete, to study the impact of the surface on performance and the risk of injury, to optimise the mechanical properties of our surfaces.
ACQUIRING AND EXPLOITING YOUR DATA
TO CHARACTERIsE THE BEHAVIOR OF THE SURFACE
As in agronomy, characterising the mechanical behavior of the surface and its interaction with the athlete is the key to optimising its mechanical properties.
But the instruments used for years to measure mechanical properties have proven to be incomplete and unrepresentative of reality.
Our R&D team in biomechanics has therefore developed a tailor-made tool to evaluate the mechanical characteristics of the surface in a way that is representative of reality: the OBST.
The objective is to impact the surface with the same speed and load as an athlete in full race. In a single measurement, we are thus able to calculate five key characteristics of the soil that define the mechanical behavior of the surface.
Our vision:
Sharing and spreading knowledge
THE AMBITION OF LACLINIQUEDUGAZON.FR,
SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION WEBSITE BY ROMAIN GIRAUD
Romain Giraud, agronomist and plant pathologist, is in charge of agronomy research at Natural Grass. In addition to his research work, he is the editor of the technical information website La clinique du gazon (the grass clinic), which we hope will be open to all, and which covers a wide range of topics related to agronomy and top-level sports pitch. The knowledge comes from both external scientific work (international scientific watch) and the results of some of the experiments carried out by its team. Our objective through this information site, open to all, is to help the whole profession move forward, and to initiate a movement allowing the sharing of knowledge.
THE AMBITION OF NG MASTERCLASS
In the same spirit as the grass clinic, Natural Grass proposes to expand the agronomy and biomechanics knowledge of the profession, through a series of Masterclasses broadcasted online. This open approach aims to improve the overall quality of grass, and to use collective intelligence to find solutions to tomorrow’s challenges, especially in the environmental field. Do not hesitate to contact us to discuss it.
