Inspection and testing
Conformity assessment is essential to ensure that new products and services developed in the innovation processes are suited to the applicable regulatory requirements, standards and design to be commercialised successfully on the market.
At the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) we provide inspection and testing for products and services to evaluate and guarantee the characteristics that show they perform suitably in terms of biomechanics, ergonomics, safety, comfort, usability, accessibility, user needs and preferences etc. in the different industries in which IBV works.
We carry out inspection and testing activities within the requirements of the UNE-EN-ISO/IEC-17025 quality management system, backed by our multiple recognition and accreditations in Spain and internationally.
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Sports surfaces and equipment

The Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) is a leading organisation in inspecting and testing sports surfaces, facilities and equipment, with many Spanish and international accreditations and recognition endorsing our long track record in conformity assessment.

We have advanced facilities, methods and experts to evaluate:

Sports surfaces such as:

– Artificial turf for football, rugby, tennis, paddle tennis, etc.

– Outdoors grounds for athletics, tennis, etc.

– Indoor flooring such as wooden or synthetic floors for different sports games and activities.

– Karate tatamis, etc.

Non-sports surfaces such as paving fitted around swimming pools and leisure areas.

Sports equipment and material of different types such as climbing holds, gymnastics equipment, mats, pool equipment, basketball hoops, football goals, etc.

To do so, we carry out testing in the laboratory and trials in situ that enable us to verify their characteristics and assess their conformity with Spanish and international standards, as well as with specifications defined by international sports federations such as FIFA, WORLD RUGBY, ITF, IAAF, the WORLD KARATE FEDERATION and FIBA.

We evaluate aspects related to safety (shock absorption, friction, rotational resistance, determining the drop height, surface flatness, etc.), the player-surface-ball interaction, and the quality of play (vertical ball rebound, sport surface deformation, ball roll, etc.).

If there are no specific regulatory tests, in IBV we design and carry out trials tailored to our clients’ needs in order to assess specific aspects of sports surfaces, equipment and facilities.

We provide solutions to:

– Assess the conformity of sports equipment, surfaces and facilities according to technical standards and/or specifications defined by contract.

– Support our clients in the process of designing new sports products, surfaces and equipment using reliable and proven information about compliance with specifications for prototypes and proof of concepts.

– Meet standards for products to obtain Spanish or international recognition by the sports federations with whom we are accredited.

See Recognition
More about Sports
Medical devices
We have advanced laboratories and methods to test a wide range of both class I and class II medical devices:
Implants for the hip, spine, knee, teeth etc.
Surgical instruments.
Assistive technology and support devices such as wheelchairs, medical beds, transfer hoists, crutches, pressure ulcer prevention devices, etc.
Biomaterials.
Other devices of different types such as ostomy bags, prosthetic sockets and liners etc.
To carry out these services, we simulate the devices’ conditions of use, describing their response to static and dynamic mechanical testing, ergonomic tests, biological trials and more, following procedures established in Spanish and international regulations or else based on specifications defined in the design phases.

We also assess the device’s technical documentation to verify its conformity.

If there are no specific regulatory tests, in IBV we design and carry out trials tailored to our clients’ needs in order to assess specific aspects of the devices.

We provide solutions to:

– Assess the device’s conformity with regulations or technical specifications.

– Define the device’s biomechanical properties.

– Give support to obtain the CE marking by drawing up the device’s technical documents (risk analysis, test report, essential requirements, risk management record, etc).

– Assist the company in the device’s design process and in validating prototypes.

More about Healthcare technology
More about Rehabilitation and personal autonomy
Furniture and household equipment
We carry out tests on furniture and household products, whether to meet regulations or tailor them to our clients’ requirements and specifications.
In our laboratory for ergonomic evaluation and household products, we have technical equipment to check on electrostatic parameters, specify the dimensional suitability of furniture and assess the user’s comfort and the interaction with the product. We evaluate this interaction between the user and the product based on trials with users in real or simulated environments in order to reproduce the experience in context and achieve a high level of immersion of these users.
We also have climate chambers, simulators and measurement and control systems that enable us to determine parameters to evaluate the thermal and acoustic comfort of products and components.
We provide solutions to:
– Describe the product’s physical-mechanical, ergonomic, thermal, acoustic and comfort properties and evaluate the interaction between user and product.
– Help our clients in the process of designing and validating prototypes, as well as in assessing the end products’ conformity prior to their commercialisation
More about Habitat
Footwear and clothing
In our laboratories and facilities we use systems and methods to test clothing, footwear and components tailored to our clients’ needs.
Our protocols and systems enable us to determine anthropometric and physical-mechanical parameters, whether static or dynamic (bending, compression, fatigue, etc.) or those ones concerning functionality, ergonomics and comfort, in addition to thermal response using physiological simulators.
We also carry out trials with users to objectively learn their response when using clothing and footwear, while obtaining subjective information with perception surveys. To do so, we have devices to record physiological measurements and equipment to control the environmental conditions.
If there are no specific regulatory tests, at IBV we design and carry out tailor-made tests in order to assess specific aspects of the products.
We provide solutions to:
– Describe the product’s biomechanical properties.
– Discover users’ thermal response when interacting with the product.

– Support our clients in the different stages of the product’s design and validation process by assessing the conformity of the prototypes and final products with the design specifications.

More about Clothing
Systems and environments for the automotive and mobility industries
At the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) we carry out regulatory tests and others tailored to the different stakeholders in the automotive and mobility industries.
We carry out:
Static, thermal, dynamic, and acoustic and comfort tests on components or entire vehicles (field tests).
Testing of on-board interaction systems. We assess the interfaces’ usability and level of distraction, as well as the effectiveness of sensors and cameras in detecting the state of the driver and passengers in systems for comfort, safety and services. We also evaluate management systems (vehicle fleets, cities, autonomous underground train) and on-board ones (fault management system or vehicles monitoring system).

To do all of this, we have laboratories, simulators, systems for recording physiological parameters and equipment for controlling environmental conditions, while using methods for evaluating user interaction with different products and environments that enable us to learn their objective and subjective responses via user-centred innovation methods.

We provide solutions to:

– improving products, systems and environments from the prototype phase to the end product phase.

More about Automotive
More about Mobility
Products and services for the elderly
People-oriented design enables products and services to be developed that meet their users’ needs. It is with this in mind that SIMPLIT was launched. This an initiative by the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) and the Spanish Democratic Union of Pensioners and Retirees (UDP) to ensure that devices and services are easy for consumers of all ages to use and have been designed with elderly people’s participation.
With the SIMPLIT certification, companies can guarantee that a product or service is easy to use, comfortable and intuitive.
SIMPLIT can be applied to daily environments and products by making instructions for electrical appliances easy to read, helping with skills in using new technologies, or adapting furniture by taking into account the height and depth regulations for cabinets and shelves, for example.
SIMPLIT analyses aspects such as simplicity, efficiency and the ease of learning to use.
Obtaining the SIMPLIT seal shows that the product or service has passed an evaluation process that includes verification that the product meets regulations and ease-of-use tests with users themselves.
We provide solutions to:
– Ensure that products and services are designed and easy to use for consumers of all ages.
More about Elderly people and ageing
Children’s products
With a multidisciplinary team of experts in anthropometry, body systems biomechanics, human functions, people’s needs and preferences, and in design and human factors, we have knowledge that we apply comprehensively to define and assess the conformity of children’s products. Our laboratories for ergonomics, footwear, habitat, anthropometry and the physical-mechanical evaluation of products and components all enable us to determine the response and behaviour of materials, components and children’s products in order to comply with the applicable regulations or else the design specifications when there are no reference standards for them.

In addition to objective response, we have methods to evaluate perception and subjective response, too. This allows us to test the products with users to find out their response as regards comfort, ease of use, biomechanical assessment, thermal response etc., in real situations of use.

We provide solutions to:

– Describe the physical-mechanical properties, the subjective response in product-user interactions, ergonomics, thermal response, comfort, safety, ease of use and suitability of products for children and childcare.

– Help our clients in the process of designing and validating prototypes, as well as in assessing the end products’ conformity prior to their commercialisation.

More about Children and childcare