3d printing in the world of sport
The impact of 3D printing is undeniably widespread. As it makes its mark on a range of fields, including biomedicine, architecture, mining, automotives, (and more), another field set to be completely transformed by 3D printing in the future is sports - in particular, sports equipment and prosthetics for disabled athletes.
Nike and the future of shoe production
Nike, the world’s foremost retailer of athletic footwear, recently announced that 3D printing shoes from home may not be too far away. While downloading a blueprint of your favourite shoe, customise it to your liking, and then seeing it develop in front of your very eyes via an affordable home 3D printing machine seems impossible, this scenario may be entirely plausible in years to come.
At the recent Geekwire Summit, Nike COO Eric Sprunk said that 3D printing is already a hot topic within the Nike corporation, and they have launched an initiative called ‘Manufacturing Revolution’ which is assessing the future of 3D printing, as well as other technologies which may impact the way that footwear is produced.
Although this raises many questions regarding intellectual property, Nike’s main rival, Adidas, are also looking into the technology of 3D printing and have recently innovated a 3D printed midsole.
Customised sports equipment
While the future shoes of Nike and Adidas are sure to be popular due to their highly personalised designs, 3D printed sports equipment may be advantageous from a functional perspective too.
In contact sports such as gridiron (American football), head trauma is a serious concern - so protecting the athletes is of the utmost importance. UCLA were awarded a grant by the National Football Association to design a 3D printable impact-absorbing lattice to be worn under the athlete’s helmets. Due to its lightness and breathability, this new foam lattice has already outperformed the vinyl nitrile helmet linings which are currently being used.
Also beneficial to athletes is the Hydra-Guard, a 3D printed mouthpiece which has the functionality to hydrate athletes during a match. The mouthguard contains a squeezable pouch which is to be placed inside the roof of the athlete’s mouth, and when liquid is required for hydration, the athlete simply needs to bite down on the mouthpiece - much more convenient than having to leave the field to catch a drink of water. The product is currently in its development phase and is set to hit the market later this year.
3D printing for the benefit of disabled athletes
A collaborative venture between UCLA, The Anderson Strategy Group and Sports and Social Change has been launched to investigate the impact of 3D printing technology on adaptive sports.
Normally, sports equipment for disabled athletes is extremely high cost - prohibitively so, even - but by manufacturing it with 3D printing technology, you can not only design the equipment to perfectly fit the contours of the disabled athlete’s body, it also makes one-off production cycles much more affordable. It has been suggested that 3D printing could be used to produce a range of prosthetics, and could also be used in the manufacture of wheelchairs for tennis and basketball.
Tagged with: sports, biomedicine, prosthetics
