Pennsylvania, US – An ice hockey glove design inspired by the physical characteristics of an armadillo has won Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) annual make-a-thon. Students participated in a week-long contest aimed at increasing hand safety in hockey as part of the Rethink the Rink programme.
With guidance from Covestro, the Pittsburgh Penguins professional hockey team and equipment manufacturer Bauer Hockey, four teams competed. Each designed a prototype hockey glove.
The winners of the Make-a-thon, now in its eighth year, designed a glove that features a flexible notch system in the fingers that reduces maximum stress incurred in the wearer’s finger by 20% in preliminary testing. It also incorporated a semi-rigid cuff to protect players’ wrists without impacting mobility.
Although a lot more R&D is still required, Russell Glorioso, head of US external communications at Covestro, said the winning team’s proposed design – the ArmorDillo – featured a combination of Texin TPU, high-resiliency polyurethane foam and Makrolon polycarbonate. Testing showed it improved both energy absorption and deformation.
“The prototype elegantly redesigned vulnerable areas of a hockey glove, specifically the fingers and wrists, with simple solutions,” he told Urethanes Technology International. “As far as the specific polyurethane type, that will be identified as testing continues.”
“Hand safety is critical in everything we do – in sport, at work, truly in every area of daily life,” said Samir Hifri, chairman and president of Covestro. “The innovations the students brought to life during the Rethink the Rink Make-a-thon have the potential to impact hand safety both within the sport of hockey and beyond the rink.”
The students’ designs will now be considered for development. Bauer Hockey may bring the concept to market.
“Rethink the Rink is a crash course in innovation,” said Jon Cagan, head of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. “In just five days, students progress from collaborative brainstorming to physical prototyping with guidance from experts at Covestro and the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s a hands-on learning opportunity that builds skills our students will use to break barriers for years to come.”
The Rethink the Rink initiative, launched in 2018, has already led to significant improvements in hockey rink design and player equipment. Previous years have focused on safer dasher boards, helmets, and other protective gear. Last year’s winners designed a neck protector. This type of safety gear is increasingly being mandated after the fatal neck injury suffered by former Penguin Adam Johnson at a 2023 match in Sheffield, UK.
