Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 34 minutes ago
From NASA to the rugby pitch: Could this new material make contact sport safer for young players?

The material stays soft and flexible during normal play but stiffens instantly on impact to absorb energy, potentially lowering the force transferred to the brain.

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/02/24/from-nasa-to-the-rugby-pitch-could-this-new-material-make-contact-sport-safer-for-young-pl

Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
Transcript
00:23This is rion material.
00:24It's a highly energy absorbing material.
00:27It behaves similarly to a mixture of cornstarch and water,
00:32so it's a non-Newtonian or, in simple words, dynamic material.
00:35So when it's in a natural state, it's soft and flexible,
00:39so it allows for comfort next to the player's head,
00:42but during an event of impact or a collision,
00:44it suddenly stiffens up to absorb that impact energy.
00:59There are a couple of white papers that we studied
01:02which noted that the frequency of concussion in rugby
01:05is greater than in something even like boxing.
01:07So we recognised there was a need.
01:10We recognised there was an opportunity,
01:12and in talking to rion about the possibility of using the material,
01:17it seemed like a really good match.
01:24What I would say, and I'm asked this a lot as you'd imagine,
01:27is actually that scrum caps are very good for reducing raises, cuts,
01:34that kind of thing, cauliflower ears, particularly in a rugby setting.
01:37What they don't do, or what has not been proven yet,
01:40is that they reduce rates of concussion.
01:42Now, I believe there are companies that have shown reduced forces
01:45that go through the brain in a lab-based setting.
01:48Now, I guess that's different from real world,
01:50but we, as much as anyone, would love to be a product on the market
01:55that can conclusively show that.
02:07Yeah, yeah, so I took a knock in the game.
02:10I think it was head-on-head contact.
02:12Didn't, obviously, feel a bit, but, yeah, it did.
02:15There wasn't any long-lasting sort of effect to that,
02:18which I'm not sure you might find with a regular swim cap.
02:26You know what they've made from things?
02:26I've done ั‡ัƒั‚ัŒ- Corinthians,
02:26and there's things wrong.
02:27Oh, God.
02:27I dove over here, pick them up in those examples.
02:27I keep your eye open.
02:27You know, you look like it's you.
02:27You're right there.
02:28Then you're right there.
Comments

Recommended