Sportstechreview is an independent blog focussing on new sports equipment design developments and innovations world wide. It is run voluntarily, therefore, if you would like to submit an article or new sports product development for publication, please email: sportstechreview@gmail.com.
15th January 2010
Sports clothing survey - win a new high visibility running jacket
Fancy contributing to sports garment design and science. Progressive Sports are developing a new high visibility garment for a major sports brand and would like your views on the design! If you complete the questionnaire, which should only take a few minutes, then you could win a new high visibility running top!!!
Please click the link above or below for your chance to win the running jacket below:
This is an amazing opportunity and one that I certainly want to be a part of. Please go to their website it si a must see:
"The World Village of Women Sports will give sportswomen of the world the same opportunities to develop as their male counterparts. A total of €200 million is to be invested in this research development and training centre now taking shape in Malmö, Sweden, 20 minutes from Scandinavia’s largest airport.
The World Village of Women Sports is a private sector initiative comprising of a multifunctional complex of 100,000 square metres. The first stage is scheduled for completion in 2012.
The new centre will provide new opportunities for international sports organisations, clubs and companies with products and services in the pharmaceutical, nutrition and sports equipment fields."
Worrell design and Dr. Jim Levine of the Mayo clinic have been developing the Muve Gruve to help athletes monitor their exercise daily. A tri-axial accelerometer is used to monitor athlete movement throughout the day. According to their website;
"As one of the Pelegrin Partners, Worrell's CEO directed the project as a brand building effort from the product out. We designed the Gruve, a tri-axial accelerometer that monitors an individual's every movement throughout the day and indicates their progress against their pre-measured metabolism. An indicator located at the top of the device shows an individual's progress by LED color. The data collected is ultimately synced to an Internet portal to synthesize caloric intake and personal progress.
The clip on the Gruve was designed to integrate into the shape of the device and function on virtually any type of clothing or belt to be unobtrusive to the user. The Gruve uses vibration to notify the user it is time to get moving. A targeted customer base is corporations looking to explore the possibility of reducing the cost of insurance premiums by improving peoples health through prevention rather that treatment and those who need that extra reminder to get up and at it to stay fit".
Sniff n go is an aromatherapy based product that provides a reviving, energising, calming, and sensual experience that can be worn on the body in patches or in your pocket or purse. Sports products are relieing on new ways of differentiation - perhaps smell is the key?
Natural health enhancement patches are available through LifeWave. With a vast array of professional athletes and research behind the product, this technology should sell, and sell in numbers.
A new wind tunnel technology using microscopic bubbles in enhancing the automotive industry. Developed by MIRA, this flow visualisation and measurement technique provide large volume flow field mapping in a full-scale wind tunnel. For more information please click on the link above.
Sportstechreview are looking for sports aerodynamic specialists to comment on this and other technologies. Fancy it? Please email your name and expertise in include an article.
Although not new these classy small watches deserve a mention as they were awarded the Good Design Award in 2008. The Breo Roam sports watch is made with a material called Tourmaline. Tourmaline is a naturally occurring mineral widely used as a semi-precious gemstone responsible for many beneficial health effects including: increased concentration, natural detoxification of the body, improved sleep and improved vitality. Although there is little research in the watch arena to prove such theories it is a nice concept anyway.
Watch technologies are fascinating to me, because manufacturers they have a massive market appeal for both sports stars and the non-sport playing public. Fashionable and functional, sports watches will always be around to let us know what time it is, our heart rate, our carolies expended and perhaps even our mood in the future, who knows!!
2009
Newly available Nike prosthetics?
Yanko design have come up with a neat idea whereby children (or adults) can customise their prosthetics and they look cool.
This is a great solution to a deserved market. UK Sport have thankfully created a research and design initiative to support UK Paralympic athletes by funding nationwide research into frame design to suit wheelchairs and other bodily supports. It is interesting to know, that previously the athletes had to "make do" with support products developed by their parents in the garden shed. We must be grateful for the dedication and resources parents have for their children, otherwise athletes would never be able to reach the career heights that they have already acheived. Well done!
Ion-mask technology developed by P2i is a nanometre thick plasma layer, originally developed for the forces, that forms a protective screen against oil and water. The surface energy of the treated surface is 3 times lower than PTFE. According to P2i: Plasma is used because of its unique properties that allows it to bind to a multitude of materials including polymers, fabrics and ceramics.
Billy May has come up with a neat idea using fresnel lenses to give cyclists extended peripheral vision. According to Yanko Design:
"A less obvious advantage is reducing the necessary head rotation to check behind. Though it was intended for bicyclists, there’s a myriad of sports and activities where a greater field of view becomes an advantage. As for me, I would totally wear these 24/7 to keep this one particular friend in check. He finds it funny sneaking up on me. My nerves are shattered enough. I can’t take it anymore. I need these shades"
SympaTex have developed a patented membrane which is "100% waterproof", "100% windproof" and still allows the skin to breathe. The fabric membrane has no pores which suggests that it will never lose its function due to a blocking of the pores through residual agents such as washing powder or soil. A hydrophilic layer is on the inside of the body and a polyester layer on the outside, with a membrane sandwiched in between. As per the pictures below from SympaTex.
An interesting twist in the scoring of Olympic fencing allows both the athlete, judge and crowd to see a score the instant it occurs. Usually the athlete must check the scoreboard, taking their eye off the opponent, which can lose seconds in a bout and consequently lose the match. In fencing they have attached LED lights to the side of the helmets to alert everyone to a score. Can this technology work in boxing, for example?
New York Times presents an interactive look at the evolution of the Olympic Torch since 1936, an item that's loaded with national symbolism and tradition.
The E-Ball sports simulator recreates a number of sports indoors and outdoors including golf, soccer and Australian Rules Football. The fact that it can simulate a number of sports makes it unique.
Portable blood pressure unit with wireless display
Wireless Display Blood Pressure Monitor, retailing for $199.95, allows users to monitor their blood pressure on a wireless display unit that can be positioned up to two feet away from the user. Although not an exciting sports product, for those laboratories that monitor blood pressure, this device will reduce the number of wires around the test area - which is always a bonus.
2009
Why are so many maple baseball bats breaking?
There have been a number of maple bat injuries of late. One splintering bat in particular knocked a female fan unconscious and suffered a broken jaw. Hence, the recent investigation into their design and use by MLB player-management safety committee. LiveScience have written a nice article concerning the history of baseball bat construction and surmise about their reason for failure.
The 1000 Mile sock is a sock within a sock. The inner layer stays with the foot, the outer layer moves with the shoe thus eliminating friction on the skin and reducing wear.
The dynamax core trainer is an upper body resistance machine that weighs less than 4lb but can produce 180lb of resistance. Dynaflex International teamed up with the United States Navy S.E.A.L.S to create the DynaMax Core Trainer. The S.E.A.L.S had very specific requirements and expected nothing less than the very best in quality and craftsmanship. The final design and specifications where achieved after many years of Research and Development. Designed using the same resistance principles as the hand held gyros, this powerhouse works out your upper body through applied resistance and isometrics. The gyro has a built in starter and generates over 220lbs of resistance at its top speed.
ishoe - determines balance problems before a fall occurs
Researchers at MIT have developed an algorithm to detect balance problems in the eldery before they fall. Although pressure distribution technology under the foot is not new, the alogrithm to analyse balance is. They have managed to secure a $50,000 grant so far to push forward a more practical embodiment.
Oakland A's have installed touchscreens to every seat of their future home - Cisco Field. Spectators will be able to look up player profiles, replays and other sports scores as they watch - will this be the end for the official programme?
A female mosquito sucks blood by flexing and relaxing certain muscles in its proboscis. This creates suction (or negative pressure) that draws blood into its mouthparts.
The new biocompatible microneedle, designed by Suman Chakraborty of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur and Kazuyoshi Tsuchiya of Tokai University in Kanagawa is based on the same principle.
In this case, the sucking action is provided by a microelectromechanical pump, which works using a piezoelectric actuator attached to the needle.
Materials scientists have been singing graphene's praises since it was first isolated in 2005. The one-atom-thick sheets of carbon conduct electrons better than silicon and have been made into fast, low-power transistors. Now, for the first time, researchers have measured the intrinsic strength of graphene, and they've confirmed it to be the strongest material ever tested. The finding provides good evidence that graphene transistors could take the heat in future ultrafast microprocessors.
Jeffrey Kysar and James Hone, mechanical-engineering professors at Columbia University, tested graphene's strength at the atomic level by measuring the force that it took to break it. They carved one-micrometer-wide holes into a silicon wafer, placed a perfect sample of graphene over each hole, and then indented the graphene with a sharp probe made of diamond. Such measurements had never been taken before because they must be performed on perfect samples of graphene, with no tears or missing atoms, say Kysar and Hone.
Hone compares his test to stretching a piece of plastic wrap over the top of a coffee cup, and measuring the force that it takes to puncture it with a pencil. If he could get a large enough piece of the material to lay over the top of a coffee cup, he says, graphene would be strong enough to support the weight of a car balanced atop the pencil.
It's unlikely that graphene's incredible strength will be put to use in such a task. At the macroscopic level of coffee cups and cars, "any material will be full of cracks and flaws," says Kysar. It's at the level of such cracks and flaws that airplane wings and bridge supports fail. "Only a tiny sample can be perfect and superstrong," says Hone.
CTC developed a laboratory test to analyse a shoe's capacity for supporting the wearer's ankle. The test consists of a biomechanical foot constructed from a metal skeleton, covered in resin and a porous material called Siporex. The skeleton structure has two interlocking joints corresponding to the two main joints in the ankle: the talocrural and subtalar joint. The aim of the test is to replicate the twisting and turning movements of the ankle.
Each joint is connected to its own data capture device. The shoe upper is fixed into a dynamometer by means of a pulley and cables, and the traction of the pulley causes the foot to move. The test measures the resistance levels of a shoe, in the ankle area, for a given angle, when the foot twists or turns.
Porsche and adidas to collaborate on their fourth collection
Functionality, technology and striking design are key to the sports shoes, textiles, accessories and sports equipment. Technologies, such as the cushioning element adiPrene, are said to provide warmth, breathability and protection. The ForMotion technology developed by adidas, with its manoeuvrable cushioning element, is designed to ensure that the running shoes allow the foot to roll gently and evenly.
The Supercup High shoe was developed for professional racing car drivers. It is available in two versions, allowing it to be used both as a leisure shoe and in the professional motor sports arena. It has a shock-absorbing reinforced heel, ankle protector with Velcro fastener and cushioning around the ankle and top of the foot area. The sole is fire-resistant and oil-resistant, while the lining is made from fire-proofed Nomex. The shoe will be available to Porsche Supercup drivers for racing purposes from this month.
The second version of the shoe was designed for Porsche Design customers. The outline and sole of the Supercup High (Limited Edition) shoe are modelled on the driver's shoe from the Porsche Design Sports Collection, launched in Spring/Summer 2007, while the upper is described as a more elegant version of the pro shoe. The shoe will be introduced to the global market with a limited edition of 550 pairs. Each pair of shoes will have a unique identification number etched onto it using laser technology.
Among the apparel selection is the racing blouson, also a limited edition item with only 550 examples available. Described as a modern version of a classic motor racing top, the wind- and water-repellent down jacket guarantees maximum warmth, thanks to its top quality down lining, and has a shiny-metallic outer material.
The range of colours in the Porsche Design Sports Collection has been extended. In addition to black and white, the collection now also includes orange, maroon and green-grey. The collection goes on sale from this month.
Another vibrating fat-destroying belt has been released to the market. This one is called the Vibro shape and can be bought for $27.19 from Chinavasion.
Mark R from Coolest Gadgets has come across two new motion chargers that harness kinetic energy. The first is the Orange Dance Charge. This is an armband that you can connect your mobile device to, and then shake it up (preferably while dancing) for a charge. It has the same kinetic energy charger that you see in those “never need winding” watches. The second is a charger that uses a little nanowire fabric in a bra to capture the energy produced by the up and down movement of the breasts. Unfortunately, both of these ideas are in the proposal stage at this point.
Nanotechnology, for all its recent growth and vibrant promise, still feels very sci-fi to us laypersons, what with all those buckytubes and nanoceramics. Lars Berglund of Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology, though, is bringing the nanotech treatment to thoroughly familiar, if not boring, material: paper. By processing wood pulp with enzymes and high-pressure microfluidic chambers, he's been able to create paper with dramatically finer strands, offering some impressive improvements in mechanical characteristics. According to the article in MIT Technology Review, this "nanopaper" is "stronger than cast iron and tougher than bone," featuring a tear strength seven times that of conventional paper, and the ability to stretch by 10% before failure.
In an article published in The Guardian, HOK Sport have published plans to build London's Olympic stadium as a 'flatpack', to be assembled and then disassembled post-games. Talks to the next Olympic hopefuls, Chicago, have already been initiated. The Guardian continues:
It would be the first time in history that a stadium of this size has been moved. Last year, 16,000 seats which had previously been used at the 2006 football World Cup in Germany were shipped to Barbados where they were used in the ICC Cricket World Cup. "If we could box it up and ship it to the next games, that's something that could benefit the Olympic movement," said Doug Arnott, director of sports and operations at Chicago 2016. "We have had preliminary discussions about what London's stadium design team are planning and how it might fit in. This is to do with the responsible use of materials and trying to avoid leaving infrastructure that will burden a city."
HOK Sport, architects of London's Olympic stadium, have deliberately designed the arena as a kit in part. A permanent concrete bowl of 25,000 seats will remain in place for athletics, lower league football and rugby, but every other component could be sold on. Chicago has made staging a low-impact games a core part of its bid. It is using several existing arenas, including Soldier Field where the Chicago Bears NFL team play, and the Chicago Bulls' basketball arena will host gymnastics and basketball. "Chicago think this would be a coup for their bid, and would show they are putting their money where their mouth is on their commitment to sustainability," said a source.
Toray Industries Inc, the world’s leading fiber and textile manufacturer with over $12 billion in annual sales, announced that it has developed a nanotechnology-based deodorant material for clothing. The new material, Mushon™, specializes in reducing perspiration odor for clothing applications such as sportswear and work uniforms.
Mushon™ features anti-bacterial/deodorant properties, which meet the blue label standards specific to SEK Mark (JIS L1902 a value of bacteriostatic activity over 2.2). Particularly with nylon and polyester fabrics, Mushon™ reduces up to 80 percent of odor generated through perspiration and maintains its effectiveness after 20 home launderings. Toray’s Mushon™ recently saw extensive testing in the space uniform worn by Japanese astronaut Takao Doi during the Space Shuttle Endeavor’s mission to the International Space Station in March 2008.
Cool Shirt designed to reduce the thermal load imposed during car racing transport cool fluid around a piping system to the torso. More information can be found at Stock Car Racing.
Jacky Wu has developed a method of counting the number of jumps whilst using a skipping rope. Although perhaps not performance enhancing, a neat idea that may be transferred to other kids toys and games, such as keepy ups?
Developed by BioDevices, the Vital Jacket, is one of the recent innovations in smart textile technology that can measure heart rate and ECG waves. Two versions are available: one that records data onto an SD card and another that allows visualtisation using a smartphone/ PDA. More information can be found at BioDevices.
A study published in Cochrane Library, reviewing 15 clinical studies including 15,000 people concluded that current lumbar support designs do little to alleviate back-pain during heavy lifting, and in fact, provide no more support than wearing nothing at all.
The walking assistant is able to obtain information from hip angle sensors to help keep its wearer upright, with the device's motors also able to increase the wearer's natural stride. That, Honda says, should make the device ideal for the elderly or those with weakened leg muscles.
“Ergoskin” is an orthopedic underwear with ergonomic bio-feedback to promote a positive posture: nano-sized, locational “sensors” and “pistons” are woven into the fabric in order to act either neutral when the posture is ideal as programmed or to release mechanical impulses to the skin when a non-ideal posture is assumed for too long – the feedback is on a time-lapse, as constant movement (tensing and relaxing of muscle groups) is endorsed.
Information and images from PSFK.
2009
D3O in ballet shoes
d3o have developed a unique Capulet's Juliet pointe shoe to decrease the potential for injury during ballet.
Australians to use body-mapping garments to succeed
CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology scientist, Dr Richard Helmer has developed a sophisticated sleeve that can characterise a person's arm movement while shooting towards a goal in sports such as netball and basketball. The technology, best explained by science alert, helps players find their ideal shot-making rhythm and motion the system plays a series of beats in-sync with their arm and wrist movements as they take a shot. The beats are triggered as the limbs move through certain positions. If the motion is ‘correct’ – ie, indicative of a more successful natural action – the beats, which sound like parts of a disco drum rhythm, describe a recognisable pattern. This enables the netballer to maintain the dynamics of her natural shot-making action in stressful situations simply by repeating the rhythm in her head.
In an article published in The Times (March 15), a new technology has been developed that promotes healing and may reduce infections. Garments are treated with a carbohydrate called chitosan, that has been found to absorb excess protease enzymes which can slow the healing process.
Clothing designed to combat body's different climate zones
X-Bionic have developed a functional clothing line to accomodate a multitude of sports. Central to their design is their 37°CCR-Technology™; designed to target the body's various climate zones. It has been shown that different body parts react differently to their surroundings and exercise, in terms of sweat excretion and heat dissipation. Through analysis and research, X-Bionic have altered the insulation factor, through the distribution of air-flow, of various areas of the clothing with the aim of helping the body to maintain thermal heat balance.
Nike and Apple team up with major gym equipment manufacturers
Nike and Apple are teaming up with most of the major gym equipment makers—Life Fitness, Precor, Star Trac and Technogym—to make their cardio equipment Nike + iPod-friendly. You'll be able to track workouts on stair steppers, ellipticals, bikes and treadmills and upload them to NikePlus.com, like the standard Nike + iPod. Of course, this all requires to your gym to either buy new equipment or upgrade what they've got, so you might have to wait a while to get on board.
£15 million Sports Technology Institute officially opened
Loughborough University unvieled its £15 million state of the art Sports Technology Institute on Wednesday 27th February to a high profile V.I.P. guests. Interesting, novel and unique sports equipment test apparatus and methodologies were displayed. The institute has worked with a number of sports brands in the past and have been part of the design process for the FIFA World Cup Teamgeist football, Nike 2007 Rugby World Cup shirt and Umbro England 2007 - 2009 football shirt, among other distinguished sports products.
Scientists at Baylor University have developed a bloodless diabetes monitor to stop those daily finger pin-picks. Nice article in technology-review.
2009
SEGA body trainer: personal trainer in headphones
SEGA Toys have released headphones which adapt to your heart rate, monitored through the earlobe, by increasing or decreasing the tempo of your music. Furthermore, by inputting some vital statistics and the type of training you are about to compete, such as jogging or aerobics, it can optimise your music to suit your routine.
For more information please click the link. Images and information reprinted from DVICE.
The Berkley Lab at UC Berkley have developed a system to harness electrical power from silicon nanotubes synthesized with silver ions on a flat water surface. It is hoped that this technology will power electrical goods such as MP3 players and cell phones. Interesting technology worth a read at rich media info.
A new self-healing rubber, formulated from fatty acids from vegetable oil, this rubber can be stuck back together again once broken. This may have a significant impact on the sports market as, potentially, broken polymer products may not have to be replaced ever again.
For more information please click the link. Images and information reprinted from nature.
Argo Medical Technologies Ltd and Taga Innovations are jointly funding and developing an exoskeleton technology that aims to eliminate the need for a wheelchair. ReWalk "is a light, wearable brace support suit comprising DC motors at the joints, rechargeable batteries, an array of sensors and a computer-based control system" writes Justin Cunningham, Professional Engineer. The device movement control is similar to the Segway; when the wearer leans forward a signal is triggers exoskeleton movement similar to walking. There are currently four prototypes in clinical trials which is encouraging for those with a disability. The interesting thought is will such a technology be deemed legal in future Paralympic events?
Article published in Professional Engineering in association with ImechE.
2009
Anti-gravity training - the new fad?
By using an unique pressure distribution system, the G-trainer is able to reduce the load imposed on the user by reduce their effective body weight by up to 80%. Perhaps there will be a significant reduction in 'shin-splints' or knee injuries in the future?
For more information please click the link. Images and information reprinted from engadget.
Software installed on your handset monitors your heart rate once a sensor is placed onto the chest and connected to the phone. It has the potential to automatically phone a doctor, or hospital, if dangerous abnormalities are observed. A GPS chip will also be able to pinpoint the street on which you’ve either collapsed.
For more information please click the link. Images and information reprinted from inquirer.
A knee brace that generates enough electricity to power 10 cellphones was demonstrated by scientists recently. The brace harvests the energy of a person's knee braking after taking a step, similar to the way hybrid car brakes collect energy to charge their batteries. The device only weighs 3.5 pounds, and does not need the intense effort that other human-powered energy generators such as hand cranks require. Would this technology be able to power diagnostic equipment of the future?
For more information please click the link. Images and information reprinted from gizmodo.
Plasters with micro-chip to remotely monitor patients (athletes?)
The Sensium™ is an ultra low power sensor interface and transceiver platform for a wide range of applications in healthcare and lifestyle management. The device includes a reconfigurable sensor interface, digital block with 8051 processor and an RF transceiver block. On chip program and data memory permits local processing of signals. This capability can significantly reduce the transmit data payload.
Together with an appropriate external sensor, the Sensium provides ultra low power monitoring of ECG, temperature, blood glucose and oxygen levels. It can also interface to 3 axis accelerometers, pressure sensors and includes a temperature sensor on chip.
One or more Sensium enabled digital plasters continuously monitor key physiological parameters on the body and report to a basestation Sensium plugged into a PDA or Smartphone. The data can be further filtered and processed there by application software.
For more information please click the link. Images and information reprinted from toumaz.
Smartex next generation clothing aims to monitor the wearers life-signs inlcuding EKG, posture and, movement. A popular area for research, this type of vital-sign detection clothing will surely be on the market soon.
For more information please click the link. Images and information reprinted from psfk.
