Think about items you have purchased recently for your home or personal use, like a laptop, furniture, appliances, food, make-up, sneakers, and clothing. All of these items are ‘consumer goods’ and engineers are a critical part of getting products like these from the drawing board to the marketplace and into the hands of the public. Consumer goods encompass such a wide variety of market segments and types of products that it's hard to do justice to the role and place of engineers across such an enormous and varied industry. Therefore, in this module, we will look at engineering for consumer goods through an examination of one of its most exciting segments – the sporting goods and equipment industry.

The sporting goods and equipment industry is an incredibly vibrant and fast-growing segment of the consumer goods industry and of the economy as a whole. Consumer appetite for the latest sports equipment, accessories and apparel is driven by rising participation levels in recreational sports, awareness and interest in physical fitness, and the popularity of the athletes associated with particular items or brands. Snowboarders, swimmers, tennis players, cyclists, and runners all want to perform better, compete longer, and of course do so with as few injuries as possible.

In order to meet these expectations, the sporting goods industry needs people with engineering backgrounds. Biomechanical, chemical, electrical, material, manufacturing, and mechanical engineers will all find positions to suit their skill set. And, one of the most appealing things about pursuing a career in this industry is that while you are making use of your engineering skills, you also get the opportunity to leverage and pursue your interests in sports.

Many of the people hitting the slopes each winter are engineers working on the latest products designed to enable skiers and snowboarders to move faster, turn tighter, and stay warmer and more comfortable longer. Of course, summer sports also offer engineers the chance to combine work and recreation. In fact, some of the most exciting sports engineering innovations in recent years have come from the field of swimming and swimsuit design. Suits these days are as much equipment as they are apparel – made from materials that protect the wearer from damaging UV rays and with surface patterns that increase product longevity and actually enhance athletic performance by keeping friction and drag down.

Other areas where engineers are changing the face of sports include the development of a new generation of specially adapted equipment - such as skis and sports wheelchairs - for those with various disabilities to participate in the sport of their choice.

Overall, engineers engaged in this work are using their passion for sports to enhance the experience of others who share their interests.