Abstract: The paper conducted an online survey on the needs of functional knee pads based on exercise habits and injuries. Results indicated that: running is the most popular outdoor sports; the awareness of knee joint protection needs to be improved; protective functions, auxiliary sports training, and health monitoring functions are the most concerning needs for functional knee pads; acceptable price for the public is CNY 100～300; as for personalized requirements, most respondents hope that knee pads can have different models for men and women; the color preference include black, white, gray and solid color.

Key words: outdoor sports; knee joint; sports protection; functional knee pads