Science and Technology

Environmental Chamber

Environmental Chamber

The School of Science and Technology is one of the few sites in the country to offer an environmental chamber to their Sports Science students.

The chamber enables variables such as temperature, humidity and altitude to be controlled, and the internal climate can be set to mimic nearly any environment in the world. Careful monitoring of physical activity under these conditions can highlight the impact of various climates on the body.

The chamber enables earlier acclimatisation for athletes competing abroad and was approved by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for use by members of Team GB in preparation for the Athens Olympic Games (2004).

Hypoxic simulation can also be achieved within the chamber by reducing the amount of oxygen in the air. Breathing air with reduced oxygen concentrations causes the body to respond by producing higher levels of red blood cells, increasing the capacity for oxygen to be transported within the body. This technique can be used to treat many respiratory and circulatory illnesses and diseases as well as to speed up injury recovery.

The Environmental chamber is located in the Erasmus Darwin Building on Clifton campus.