technology in sports丨how can shooting suit be both hard and soft?
2024-09-06
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technology in sports
original title: beijing institute of fashion technology's scientific research team overcomes key technical problems - (lead)
how can shooting suits be both hard and soft? (topic)
people's daily reporter pan junqiang
opening words
general secretary xi jinping pointed out: "to build a strong sports nation, we must achieve high-level self-reliance and self-improvement in sports science and technology."
in recent years, the role of science and technology in sports has become increasingly prominent. more and more scientific and technological elements are being integrated into the design and manufacturing of sports equipment; cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data are increasingly being used in event broadcasting, venue operations, and sports training; cloud events and virtual sports have fostered new forms of sports and enriched the national fitness scene... starting today, this edition will launch the "science and technology in sports" column, focusing on stories of scientific and technological innovation in the sports field.
at the recent paris olympics, chinese shooting athlete liu yukun won the gold medal in the men's 50m rifle three-position event. in addition to his superb level, his "battle suit" also attracted a lot of attention.
the clothing worn by shooting athletes is called "leather clothing", which is made of special canvas and cowhide. at the paris olympics, liu yukun wore a "leather clothing" tailored by the research team of beijing institute of fashion technology. this was also the first time that chinese athletes wore domestic shooting clothing to participate in the olympics, breaking the monopoly of foreign brands in the industry.
olympic champion liu yukun wears a "leather suit". photo by xinhua news agency reporter zhang fan
"shooting uniforms are not easy to make, and there is a lot of knowledge involved." associate professor wang xiaochun from the school of materials design and engineering of the beijing institute of fashion technology said that the national shooting team's "leather uniforms" were previously imported from countries such as south korea, germany and india. to solve this problem, with the support of the state sports general administration and the shooting and archery management center of the state sports general administration, the beijing institute of fashion technology has focused on independent research and development since 2022.
unlike general clothing that pursues softness, lightness and comfort, competitive shooting suits focus on maintaining and supporting the athlete's posture, which requires the fabric to have sufficient hardness. however, too high hardness is not conducive to athletes' posture changes, especially the kneeling and lying positions in the three shooting positions. how to find a delicate balance between hardness and flexibility? how to make shooting suits "hard and soft"? this is a key technical problem that many experts are scratching their heads.
what kind of fibers, yarns, and tissue structures should be used? how to develop functional additives? ... involving multiple fields such as polymer materials, textile engineering, and light chemical engineering, a series of technical problems have emerged.
in order to cope with the challenges, the school of materials design and engineering of beijing institute of fashion technology established an interdisciplinary research team. after working day and night, the research team independently developed the main material of "leather clothing", wear-resistant and non-slip rubber sheets, specially selected leather materials and various auxiliary materials.
the international shooting federation has strict indicators for shooting suit fabrics, requiring a thickness of ≤2.5 mm and a hardness of ≥3.0 mm. no matter which indicator of the clothing is unqualified, the athlete cannot participate in the competition. in order to meet the standards of the international shooting federation, the scientific research team conducted countless experiments and cooperated with enterprises to carry out industrial development. in the end, a shooting suit fabric with high hardness, high elasticity and slow response characteristics was developed, and the technical indicators reached the international leading level.
pattern design is also one of the key technologies for making "leather clothing". professor zhao yuxiao from the school of fashion art and engineering of beijing institute of fashion technology is responsible for pattern design research. she said: the team uses professional equipment to test and collect data such as athletes' movements and postures in shooting competitions to obtain the laws of athletes' body morphological changes, and on this basis, develops a "three-dimensional + motion" dynamic pattern that meets the technical characteristics of athletes.
the design of the "leather suit" emphasizes personalization. in addition to paying attention to the differences in each athlete's body and technical movements, the psychological feelings of the athletes must also be considered. "take shooting pants as an example. some athletes like the trouser legs to be just as long as the shoe surface; others like longer trouser legs, with folds on the leg openings that stick to the calves to increase the sense of support," said zhao yuxiao.
after it is made, there will be a period of adaptation between the "leather suit" and the athlete, so that the person, the gun and the suit can be integrated into one and find the best state of performance. during this process, the scientific research team will conduct follow-up evaluation and continuous adjustment and improvement. "unlike directly purchasing 'leather suits' from abroad, independent research and development can better match the characteristics of chinese athletes and help improve their performance." zhao yuxiao said.
with the continuous improvement and iteration of technology, the "leather clothing" developed by the scientific research team of beijing institute of fashion technology has helped athletes achieve good results in international competitions such as the 31st world university summer games, the 2023 shooting world cup finals, and the 2024 shooting world cup baku station in azerbaijan.
in addition, traditional chinese cultural elements such as auspicious clouds, sea water and river cliffs are also reflected on the shooting uniforms, demonstrating cultural confidence.
the process of localizing shooting suits is an organic combination of technological innovation and industrial development, promoting independent research and development of high-level competitive sports equipment, as well as technological innovation in new materials and technologies. the price of localized shooting suits is expected to be more affordable, thereby lowering the threshold for participation in shooting sports.
source: people's daily
