Posted on June 23rd, 2010 by jxh
Stephen Strasburg pitching in his major league debut (dbking/Flickr)
Of the 161 injured players in Major League Baseball, 94 are pitchers. It’s no surprise: Pitchers can work up unbelievable speeds when they throw, like Stephen Strasburg, who threw 101 mph with his fastball and pitched 14 strikeouts in his debut with the Washington Nationals.
However, when pitchers begin throwing inconsistently, due to fatigue or poor technique, they are susceptible to physical harm and can tear a ligament or hurt their shoulder.
That is why three engineering students at Northeastern University created a “data-logging” compression shirt that can track pitching mechanics during a game in real time.
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Filed under: e-News, Mechanical | Comments Off on Smart Shirts to Protect a Pitcher’s
Invaluable Arm
Tags: Mechanical, Sports
Posted on June 16th, 2010 by axb
Brazilian midfielder Kaka heads the Jabulani ball (Shine 2010/Flickr)
While the whole world was anticipating the 2010 World Cup tournament in South Africa, a team of scientists and engineers were busy crafting one of its most crucial pieces of equipment: the soccer ball. This year’s ball, made by Adidas, is named Jabulani, which means “celebrate” in the Zulu language.
Jabulani boasts many technical improvements, such as a specially engineered surface texture for better grip, shock-absorbing polymer material, and a more aerodynamic shape.
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Filed under: e-News, Industrial / Manufacturing, Mechanical | 2 Comments »
Tags: Industrial / Manufacturing, Mechanical, Sports
Posted on June 14th, 2010 by jxh
Two robots face off at last year’s RoboCup in Austria
While soccer fans around the world are energized about the start of the World Cup, engineers are preparing for the RoboCup world championship, which begins June 19 and takes place in Singapore.
Carnegie Mellon University students, who have been strong competitors in the RoboCup soccer tournament in years past, are especially confident in their robot soccer players this year, thanks to a new algorithm based on physics principles.
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Filed under: e-News, Mechanical | 3 Comments »
Tags: Competitions for Students, Events, Mechanical, Robotics, robotics competitions, Sports
Posted on June 9th, 2010 by jxh
Millions of fish and marine wildlife are dying as a result of the massive oil spill off the Gulf Coast.
What if there were ways to lead fish away from such dangers and direct them to safer waters? It might be possible with the leadership of remote-controlled fish-like robots.
Maurizio Porfiri, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, used smart materials to create a robot that would be accepted by real fish as an equal and a leader.
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Filed under: e-News, Mechanical, Ocean | Comments Off on One Fish, Two Fish
Tags: Biomimicry, Mechanical, Ocean
Posted on June 3rd, 2010 by jxh
Texting, talking on the phone, and eating are all dangerous distractions while driving. Every year, 37,000 people in the United States are killed by traffic accidents, and 90 percent are a result of driver error.
That is why Volvo Car Corp. is testing an in-car system that can sense an approaching pedestrian and brake automatically if the driver does not.
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Filed under: e-News, Mechanical | 1 Comment »
Tags: Cars, Mechanical, Transportation
