Synthesizing Research in Sport and Exercise: Transitioning to Real-World Data and Data Science

The American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) Jim Hay Memorial Award recognizes individuals for their original long-term contributions to the field of biomechanics. The recipient's work is highlighted at the Jim Hay Symposium held during the ASB annual meeting each year. This paper summarizes the 2024 Jim Hay Symposium, Biomechanics of Exercise and Sport, at the 2024 ASB Annual Meeting in Madison, WI. The symposium was thematically framed around the evolution of integrative, multidisciplinary research in the biomechanical study of human activity and behavior. With the foundations of biomechanical research being laid in controlled laboratory settings, advancements in wearable sensor technology have allowed investigators to capture increasingly sophisticated real-world activity and behavior and physiological data (eg, physical activity, sleep, and heart rate) that may be linked to biomechanical processes (eg, gait biomechanics), which are integral to optimizing health and wellness in the context of human performance, physical activity, exercise, and sport. Wearable sensors enable the collection of unprecedented amounts of meaningful data that can be used to make previously unknown associations among behavior, biomechanics, physiology, and health outcomes that may lead to new and useful scientific insights. These unique discoveries are propelled by multidisciplinary and integrative collaborations in technology, biomechanics, physiology, artificial intelligence, and data science. Human performance, exercise, and sport science inspire and drive integrated new approaches that can reveal how biomechanical data and discoveries may be harnessed to benefit individuals of all abilities across their lifespan.