Pukas and Tecnalia have been working together in the development of the surfboards of the future, now.
The first result of advanced research is a surfboard that records your positioning and tells surfers what they're doing well and what should be corrected.
These futuristic new surfboards have everything embedded: gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, compass, strain gauges that measure flex and pressure sensors.
The surf brands invited Aritz Aranburu to present the mechanical behavior of surfboards, through technology, by "turn feelings into facts and figures" and providing as yet unquantified data that can be directly applied to improve the features of these surfboards.
By analyzing data, surfers may improve technical performance and measurement of parameters during a surf competition.
Pukas and Tecnalia had to install the data gathering electronics - sensors and hardware - in the surfboard itself to transfer the data to a computer.
In addition, they characterized the mechanical properties of surfboards so as to quantify the mechanical behaviour of the same and adapt it to the requirements of individual surfers.
At the same time, the development team also defined laboratory tests that allow them to quantify the stiffness and flexibility of boards and their resistance to breakage.
Elite surfers Aritz Aranburu, Hodei Collazo, Kepa Acero and Mario Azurza have been carrying out the initial experiments designed to characterize the stresses affecting surfboards as faithfully as possible.
Other professional surfers, such as Tiago Pires, Joan Duru, Eneko Acero and Tim Boal, are expected to join the project at a later date.
Watch the explanation video of the futuristic surfboards.