A new machine being developed by researchers at Idaho State University will spit out hockey pucks at 100 miles per hour to test protective gear.
The machine, being constructed by the ISU Department of Robotics and Communications Systems Engineering Technology as part of a $111,000 entrepreneurial grant from the Idahoan government, will replicate and measure the impact of a fast-moving hockey puck.
It’s being developed in partnership with Boise-based startup Fi-Ber Sports, whose line of gear, HOPlite Skate Armor, uses a patented technology that helps protect skaters from injury.
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Sensors on the machine will be able to evaluate how the HOPlite Skate Armor system functions and how well it protects players. That data can be compared against rival products, helping to determine a standard for the protective gear used by amateur and pro hockey players.
“We are going to be measuring these forces on the hockey skate with and without the new HOPlite Skate Armor gear as well as complete comparative testing on other similar products in the market,” Shane Slack, director of the ISU robotics department, said in a statement.
The machine is expected to begin firing pucks by mid-September. It’ll run tests through the remainder of the fiscal year ending June 2018.
Megan Ronk, director of the Idaho Commerce whose grant is meant to tie together state universities with technology startups, said this mash-up signals an “exciting opportunity in modern medical innovation.”
“I am excited for the outcome of this project and the vast impact it can have in the future of sports medicine,” she said.