Paraplegic athletes can't always detect when they are injured because they can't feel some parts of their bodies. Not being able to detect injury can have serious, sometimes even life-threatening, repercussions.
A design team at the Imperial College in London came up with a way to help the athletes understand the severity of their falls. With an athletic suit that uses pressure sensing film, athletes can notice where serious impacts have occurred. The suit is aptly called 'Bruise Trousers' and is made up of Lycra pants that emit bruise and blood-like colors depending on the pressure of a fall. Of course, the greater the pressure, the more intense the color is.
The injury-sensing suit is only a prototype at the moment, but maybe we will one day see it at the Paralympics. The group hopes to incorporate its properties into mass production athletic corporations too because it could truly change the world and help save lives.
Injury-Detecting Sportswear
Bruise Trousers Help Paraplegic Athletes Detect when They are Hurt
Trend Themes
1. Injury-sensing Sportswear - The development of sportswear with pressure sensing technology allows athletes to detect and assess injuries.
2. Enhanced Athlete Safety - The introduction of injury-detecting sportswear enhances the safety of athletes, particularly those with physical disabilities.
3. Personalized Injury Awareness - Sportswear with bruise and blood-like color emission enables athletes to visually identify the severity of their falls.
Industry Implications
1. Athletic Apparel - The athletic apparel industry can incorporate pressure sensing technology to create injury-detecting sportswear for athletes.
2. Sports Medicine - The sports medicine industry can explore how injury-sensing sportswear can be used to improve injury diagnosis and prevention for all athletes.
3. Rehabilitation Technology - The rehabilitation technology industry can leverage injury-sensing sportswear to enhance physical therapy and recovery programs for individuals with disabilities.