Page 48
www.us-tech.com
Partnering February, 2016
Measuring Hard-Hitting Boxers in Training
By Mike Skinner, Assistant Editor P
opular in gyms and with MMA fighters, the long, cylindrical punching bag has always looked
the same. But the era of the naked heavy punching bag may be drawing to a close. Now it can dress up in some special clothing, a form of wearable electronics containing sensors. The idea is to let the puncher see how ef- fectively he or she is landing those blows on the bag. The brainchild of martial arts enthusiast, Dan Fradin, is being engineered by IMET, a con- tract designer and manufacturer of electronics, located in Southampton, Pennsylvania. Dan came to IMET in crisis. His
project, the Impact Wrap, consists of a sheet of durable vinyl containing sensors, and is strapped to a heavy bag to digitally track strikes. Four years ago, it was far from finished. After suffering repeated engineering delays and heavy personal financial losses, which amounted to tens of thousands of dollars, the project was on the verge of collapse.
Rolling with the Punches The project began because of
Dan’s involvement with martial arts. To have a smart heavy bag that could track the force of blows and other statistics would be great for groups
who trained together. The informa- tion could be sent to a display and group members’ scores could be shown next to each other. For per- sonal use, training with the wrap would be an easy way to track im- provement over time. With his background in market-
ing, Dan had designed a brand for the wrap and garnered some support in the health and fitness industry. Plowing ahead, he commissioned a company to develop an app to handle the sensor data. By sheer determina- tion, Dan laid the groundwork for his product that would prove valuable in the hands of the right engineer. It was by chance that he met
BE A ABOVE THE REST WITH THE
Tom Krol, President and CEO of IMET. Tom had been leasing out a section of his building to the owner of a mixed martial arts studio who in- troduced them. After learning about the project it became apparent that Dan was following an expensive and ultimately fruitless path. Dan began to ask for Tom’s advice in design and engineering, which developed into a partnership. Tom has a keen eye for design
and an entrepreneurial spirit. He of- fered to work as the engineer on the project and to have Dan do some marketing work for the company. “Business is always a two-way street,” he explains. “It has to be mu- tually beneficial.” For about 15 years, Tom has worked on countless products for customers ranging from a national supplier of outdoor gear, to aftermarket LED controllers for motorcycles, and the U.S. military. The pair have been together on the project since early 2015. Nearing completion of the final design, Dan plans to be filling the first orders for Impact Wrap by Spring.
KAPPA 331
The Kappa 331 sets new, unique benchmarks for
-
komaxwire.com
Impact Wrap The Impact Wrap is used to
dress a heavy bag, and a smartphone is used to track the force of blows, number of strikes, and calories spent during a workout. The workouts can be programmed and the app allows groups of people to compete against each other. The wrap is made of a high-den-
sity vinyl and strapped to the bag with Velcro strips. After experiment- ing with materials like neoprene, Dan chose a type of vinyl to keep the system’s weight down, and to allow a gym to print its own logo across the wrap. An obvious design challenge was to keep the delicate electronic sensors from being damaged while strapped to the bag. This problem was solved by placing the sensors at the top and bottom of each wrap,
which keeps them out of harm’s way. According to Dan, the “secret sauce” of Impact Wrap is the algorithm the sensors use to track the force of strikes. They use a form of triangula- tion to monitor blows to the bag, and determine their force and frequency.
In the case of Impact Wrap, without Tom’s years in
design and manufacturing, and without Dan’s willingness to push the project forward in spite of ugly circumstances, the project might have simply withered on the vine.
The sensory components are two
accelerometers, one of which commu- nicates by bluetooth. The system is battery powered and turned on and off by a switch. Connected by a concealed umbilical cord, the two sensors fit snugly into pockets inside the wrap and are held tightly to the bag.
Choose Your Friends Wisely From Dan’s experience, it is
easy to understand that having a good idea and a solid business model do not necessarily provide the perfect recipe for success. Without the help of skilled and knowledgeable people, even the most novel invention might never see the light of day. In the case of Impact Wrap,
without Tom’s years in design and manufacturing, and without Dan’s willingness to push the project for- ward in spite of ugly circumstances, the project might have simply with- ered on the vine. The interconnection of everyday
items is fast becoming one of the most explored markets. We have come to expect our watches, phones, and vehicles to be quietly and con- stantly gathering information in real-time. We expect to have knowl- edge of our surroundings, schedules, friends — and now our exercise and training habits — at our fingertips. Impact Wrap is slated for a Spring 2016 release and should prove to be another step in the direction of inter-
connected daily life. Contact: IMET Corporation, 505
Keystone Road, Unit E, Southamp- ton, PA 18966 % 267-288-5330 fax: 267-288-5493 E-mail:
tkrol@imetcorporation.com Web:
www.imetcorporation.com Impact Wrap, LLC, 505 Keystone Road, Unit E, Suite 100, Southamp- ton, PA 18966 % 800-511-9590 E-mail:
support@impactwrap.com Web:
www.impactwrap.com r
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96