Mechatronic test system for high performance sports bra

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Impact of research: Today's sports bras fall short of women's expectations for performance. Worse still, poorly designed or fitted bras are linked to adverse health issues in women. Only a limited amount of research has been conducted on breast dynamics and the interaction between the female body and sports bras during high performance activities such as marathons. Through the development of new bra designs and testing technology we can mitigate these issues for a large portion of the sports bra-wearing market. Problem identified: To complement its hugely successful underwear products Knix Wear is developing a new line of sports bras and needs an adaptive engineered testing system that can replicate breast dynamics to optimize and accelerate their design process. Furthermore, Knix Wear needs a mobile testing system for use with clients at sporting and marketing events to illustrate competitive advantages of its patented bonding technology with respect to attenuation of breast movement and measurement of chafing. With such a testing system, Knix Wear will be able to address the market demand for sports bras that maximize the objectivity and effectiveness of testing. Research & Benefit to Canada: Our research will focus on developing a system to quantify the performance of existing sports bras, as well as Knix Wear's new designs, using an automated test rig capable of emulating breast dynamics and skin friction while also mimicking torso movement during moderate running is required. Knix Wear's sports bras will able meet the needs of runners and high intensity sports enthusiasts with a line of bras that will be significantly improved when the findings of the research are incorporated with Knix Wear's state of the art garment construction techniques. The new line of sports bra will be sold both within Canada and internationally, allowing Knix Wear to expand their current product line to current customers and attract new customers with this R&D effort- all key to Canada's economy.