STI.

As chill and laid back as skateboarding is, the advancement, technology and innovation of skating is a serious focus at STI- Sole Technology's Institute, located at Sole Technology (makers of eS, etnies, emerica, etnies Girl, Altamont, and Thirtytwo) in Lake Forest, California. The worlds only action sports action research lab is 10,000 sq foot biomechanics research laboratory which houses state-of-the-art testing equipment, and a variety of obstacles like mini ramps, handrails, stairs, and ledges. More on STI here and here.