Written by Peter Suciu on 21 February 2011
When you mention Cricket to most Americans, we think of the noisy insect – the one that was friends with the wooden kid that came to life – or we think of the British game where everyone wears the white pants and sweaters. What could possibly be high-tech about that, right?
Well, think again. Reebok has done many things for running, football and basketball, so why wouldn’t the company do something for the game of cricket. In fact, Reebok is actually one of the leading sportswear brands that, along with the International Cricket Council, has helped energize the game with some technical innovations for the team from India. This includes the futuristic Reebok ZigTech Bats, footwear and trainers. Just in time for the Cricket World Cup 2011 this year, Reebok has outfitted the Indian cricket team with “Zig-Sonic” equipped gear that helps reduce wear and tear in the leg muscles during training. Reebok’s ZigTech shoes have been called “engery drinks for your feet,” and now it seems like the drink is available in a curry flavor. This same zig is being incorporated into the “on field” shoes, which have also been designed to meet the needs of the individual player’s patterns and foot movements. The game has clearly come a long way from simple white sweaters and wooden bats.
Tags: bat, cricket, Reebok, Shoes, World Cup, ZigTech
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Written by Enid Burns on 18 February 2010
The SCUTA project is working on custom garments for individual athletes for football, Taekwando, and Cricket.
Certain sports require padding to protect athletes. That padding has sections, panels, seams, and doesn’t always conform to the body. The Tailored Injury Prevention & Performance Improvement for Protective Sports Garments project known as SCUTA is a joint effort with experts from Loughborough, Nottingham, Cambridge, and Cranfield University in the U.K. and the Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S. SCUTA works on the areas of manufactguring, sports technology, sports science, remote sensing, and impact and aims to develop garments tailored to the individual.
SCUTA concentrates on garments for three disciplines: Football, Taekwondo, and Cricket,
though it doesn’t specify if that’s American or European Football, one can assume both sports would benefit from the research. The group researches garments made from an additive manufacturing method known as Rapid Manufacturing, which allows for the production of virtually any geometry. It
Garments are made from layers of protective fabric.
can be custom made through a three-dimensional scanning process so each team member gets his own garment that fits the body perfectly. The garment
will be made in one piece, without seams or joins, and can be optimized to reduce the particular impact conditions of the sport and even position player. The defensive players may get a garment that’s protective in different areas than the offensive players. The project utilizes state of the art manufacturing, biomechanical, and impact facilities to continue its reasearch.
Tags: cricket, football, protective sports armour, SCUTA, taekwondo, Tailored Injury Prevention & Performance Improvement for Protective Sports Garments project
Posted in Apparel, Pro Sports, Research | No Comments »
