High Performance Sportswear and Devices II (Sports Bra)

High Performance Sports Bra For Hong Kong Athletes With Special Breast Protection
In the first phase, we have successfully completed the design and development of high performance sportswear for winter running, summer running and cycling. The technology inventions from the project have been successfully transferred to industry. With the strong support from the steering committee and industry, we will continue the research to study the biomedical, physiological and biomechanical functional needs for clothing in terms of dynamic sweat management, fat management and injury prevention, which will be used to design and develop sports bra, water pumping fabric and artificial ligament fabric technology for injury prevention in sports such as aerobic, dance, golf and badminton. Further, we will carry out new dimensions of research in the areas of bra function, breast protection, local metabolism management, body fat mapping and comfort, breast blood circulation, proprioception, muscle and joint kinesthesia, injury prevention, dynamic liquid sweat removal to enhance comfort and sports performance. When completing the project, we will deliver a set of creative designs and new fabric technology innovationsthat are ready for servicing textile and clothing industry and sports industry.
Application

With the application of dynamic water pumping fabric and flexible material with piecewise deformation modulus and strength, the newly designed sports bra can provide better protection and an improved wearing comfort sensation with adjustable dynamic thermal and liquid sweat transfer behaviours and a supportive capability to meet the various physiological requirements under dynamic changeable activity intensities. FEM of female body and sports bra demonstrates the conditions of breast displacement, pressure, internal stress and strain distributions when wearing a sports bra.
Technological Breakthrough

• Extra support from lower bra band made by special fabrics;
• Shaped-adjustable cup by water-pumping fabrics to get rid of sweat, keeping the wearer dry and comfortable;
• Reduce movement of breast;
• Improve exercise capacity;
• FEM demonstrates the conditions of the displacement, internal stress, and strain distributions of female breasts in a sports bra during movement.
Project Name (ITF)

High Performance Sportswear and Devices II (Sports Bra)
Project Number (ITF)
ITP/015/11TP