Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a highly comfortable 3D male hip protector using 3D modeling and printing technologies. The hip protector pads and patterns were devised using 3D human body shapes, and three types of pads were chosen in consideration of snowboarding motions. The three types of pads were as follows: first, the original type with no hole; second, an inner open type with an incision on the inside; and third, an outer open type, with an incision on the outside. Another variable of the protective pads was the material: 3D printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) pad + ethylene–vinyl acetate (EVA) foam or only EVA foam. Six types of pad prototypes were 3D printed and evaluated for subjective wearing comfort. Subjective comfort, fit, activity comfort, and shock absorption were evaluated on an 11-point Likert scale. The study results showed that protectors printed using TPU material were not different from the results of 3D modeling. The evaluation results revealed that comfort, fit, and motion comfort were all negatively evaluated by subjects when wearing the original pad. While fit, comfort, and motion comfort were all positively evaluated by subjects when wearing the outer open-type pad, and comfort and motion comfort were positively evaluated by subjects when wearing the inner open-type pad. With respect to materials, pads made with the 3D printing (TPU) and EVA foam combination provided the best results in terms of overall comfort, buttocks comfort, and activity comfort.
Highlights
Snowboarding is one of the most popular extreme winter sports among members of the younger generation (Subic and Kovacs 2019)
The results showed that when both 3D printing pads reflecting the 3D human body shape and ethylene–vinyl acetate (EVA) pads were inserted in the hip protectors, the protectors fit the human body well compared to hip protectors with an EVA pad that was only 1.0 cm thick inserted
All six hip protector pads were evaluated depending on shape and material (two types: EVA pad 1.0 cm; combined pad with 3D printing (0.5 cm) and EVA (0.5 cm)
Summary
Snowboarding is one of the most popular extreme winter sports among members of the younger generation (Subic and Kovacs 2019). Previous international studies related to snowboards have mainly focused on injuries, with many analyzing the types and severity of injuries and causes of occurrence (Ishimaru et al 2012; Mahmood and Duggal 2014; Schmitt and Muser 2014; Weinstein et al 2019; Wijdicks et al 2014). Ishimaru et al (2012) identified several factors of snowboard injuries (age, gender, self-reported skill level, experienced seasons, experienced days) and analyzed their relationship to the usage of protective gear (helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, backbone guard, hip pads, and knee pads) by studying 5561 snowboarders who had experienced injuries. The development of comfortable snowboard protective gear is necessary, but most studies have focused on snowboard clothing and not on snowboard protective gear (Liu et al 2014; Dammacco et al 2012; Ryu and Park 2006; Kim et al 2011; Kim 2008)
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