Here at OBO were all about making the best products that are specific to Hockey ie: the impact of a hockey ball. Before now, we really had to test the equipment using an ‘Ouch!’ factor… Now we have quite possibly the most advanced lab in the Southern Hemisphere for testing the impact of hockey balls on different materials, helmets, kickers…and now a Creme Egg!
We will be showing some of our test results from our helmets soon on this KR2.0 site very soon so keep your eyes pealed.
In the mean time we caught a bit of the Easter spirit and thought it would be fun to see what happens when our crash test dummy Noddy tried to eat a Creme Egg.
Check out the video below to find out what happened …
There’s another thing to tick of your list of things to do…
Our ROBO Elbow guard is in the final stages of our βeta testing programme and we are just making the final tweaks before we launch the product. This product will in your local OBO supplier soon.
Here is a quick video displaying how the elbow guard is reversible so you can adjust the product to suit your style of play…. Some keepers prefer to have more protection on their forearm and others on their biceps.
I have also taken a few photos to demonstrate how the guard will work with full or half protection with Hi Control and Hi Rebound RHP’s. To view the presentation click below.
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Keep an eye out in our βeta testing section to get more views on this and other new OBO products.
Check out these limited edition custom Face Off paint jobs produced exclusively for Verbunt Hockey, Netherlands.
The range of graphics are sure to give you attackers a scare on shortcorner plays. To get one of the exclusive Face Off designs click here to go to the Verbunt pages.
About the Face Off The OBO FaceOff has been developed specifically for the short corner phase of Field Hockey and is not intended for full game usage. It is designed to reduce cuts, abrasions and bruising of defenders.
Wide and comfortable elastic strapping…easy to pop on and off. Rigid yet light polyethylene shell…unbreakable. Total shell weight is 150 grams. Anatomically shaped eye sockets designed to maximise vision while still providing excellent protection. Medium density polyethylene foam inner provides comfortand aids protection of key areas…forehead, check bones, temples and chin. High density polyethylene foam goggles reduce frontal and side impacts over key areas…the bridge of the nose, eye sockets and cheek bones.
Check out these limited edition “Retro” helmet produced exclusively for Barrington Sports, UK.
Clean crisp classic looking helmets with no fuss. The OBO CK helmet offers unrivaled protection at the highest level of the game. Replacing the coveted Union Jack helmet these retro helmets will help you keep your head!
Info on the CK Made from Carbon, Kevlar and specially formulated flexible resins; with a gel coat for maximum protection and durability. There are many features that make this helmet a popular choice for goal keepers. The angular shaping provides strength and ball deflection while closed cell polyethylene foam lines the helmet for a soft comfortable fit. It comes with a high carbon steel wire cage which enhances visibility using large eye holes, a fully adjustable five point back plate, and it’s very own carry bag. Available in two sizes – the perfect size can be determined by two measurements (Temple to temple / Top of the head to the chin):
Medium
Width between 135mm and 150mm
Length between 225mm and 235mm
Large
Width larger than 150mm
Length greater than 240mm
Got this helmet? Give us a picture of you in your gear and we will upload it to this article.
What use would Kiwi sports equipment manufacturer OBO have for high-speed cameras, capable of capturing 2,000 frames per second? The answer to that question isn’t that obvious, but damn cool. Read more about OBO and Nightside Test Design’s clever use of high-tech gear for designing their products.
When you’re in the business of creating safety equipment but have no safe way to test it, what do you do? If you’re Kiwi sports equipment manufacturer OBO, you team up with test engineers Nightside Test Design to create an award-winning specialist electronics and software system.
“Before now, we really had to test the equipment using an ‘Ouch!’ factor,” says OBO test engineer Reuben Parr.
The two New Zealand companies worked together to develop a cannon that can replicate a hockey puck flying at full speed, and combined it with motion sensors, a camera and a data-capture system.
“Essentially what we’ve done is recreated an airbag test for a car in a laboratory environment for less money,” says Nightside managing director Peter Brown (above). “What that’s done is lowered the cost of access for video analysis for smaller companies like OBO.”
The system allows OBO to test and analyse its own products, as well as test competitors’ products and analyse their strengths and weaknesses.
“The unique thing is you can get high-speed video data from the sensors and then see what is happening through 2,000 frames per second,” says Parr. He is just one of the designers now toiling away on the prototype of a new field hockey short-corner helmet, utilising the test results. “You can see the shock waves acting on the design of the helmet.”
Below: The OBO/Nightside high-speed image and data-capture facility allows product designers at OBO to analyse forces acting on protective hockey gear and design according to what they can see is happening, rather than the results after impact
He’s staying mum on the finer details of the helmet, which will be released early in 2009, but it will be lighter and stronger with good visibility and ventilation. “This knowledge has really allowed us to hit a sweet spot with our design, and know what the outcomes will be,” says Parr.
Since working with OBO, the Nightside testing unit has been recognised at the Australasian 2008 EDN Innovation Awards, winning the top prize in the Best Application of Test or Data Acquisition Equipment category.
A spin-off from OBO’s new knowledge could also lead to riot police around the world wearing protective gear made in New Zealand.
A $217,000 investment from TechNZ, the business investment arm of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, is helping OBO understand exactly what happens to the body, particularly the face and head, when hard balls hit at high speed.
By understanding the science of high-speed, hard ball impacts, body tolerance, injury protection and materials, the company is now better able to create unique products.
“This is a bold step forward for OBO, which is building new knowledge and critical science capability, that will put it on a path to becoming a high growth company,” says TechNZ senior business manager Elisabeth Feary.
OBO already has a world-class reputation for producing field hockey goalie protective equipment, with about 65 per cent of the world’s goalies wearing OBO gear, which is sold into 61 countries.
The TechNZ funding has been used to build a laboratory and develop software to specifically measure ball speed impact and to investigate new materials.
In the lab, a ‘cannon’ fires balls at 200 kilometres an hour, with the motion and impact data providing information that has never been captured in this form anywhere else in the world.
Ready, Aim, Fire!
The unique knowledge feeds into the design process, with the lab also used to test the validity of the resulting products. There are international safety standards governing the manufacture of helmets but no such standards exist for face protection so OBO is taking it upon itself to also develop these along the way.
OBO founder Simon Barnett says it was a frustrating exercise to search the world unsuccessfully for scientific information about ball-speed damage, but it also opened up opportunities for his company to identify a new niche market in designing and marketing face protection for a range of sports.
Face protection that allows excellent vision without compromising movement is vital for softball pitchers, wicket keepers and hockey players, who face unpredictable balls when running out to defend during penalty corners. Mr Barnett says faster ball speeds are creating demand for different types of player protection.
“Higher ball speed results in reduced reaction times, greater damage, higher medical and dentistry bills so the need for face protection is now greater than ever before,” he says.
“Having your face reliably protected in these situations means that the player can feel more confident, and play their game to a higher level.”
OBO is aware that it is not only the design and new materials to withstand the impact that are paramount for market success, the beauty factor is important.
“We’ve talked to players and identified their needs and then worked in the laboratory to develop materials and shapes with the necessary performance characteristics and then added the beauty factor.
“The gear has to be functional and the players have to like wearing it, so it has to look good but it also needs to look intimidating to the opposition,” says Mr Barnett.
The results of OBO’s scientific testing are likely to be on the market in about six months, giving the company a whole new product category.
The new face protection will have greater strength than existing face masks but will also take into account that gear needs to give players excellent visibility.
Understanding new materials and designing equipment that takes the impact of potentially bone-breaking activity is also likely to give OBO a foot into new markets, such as protection for police working in riot or dangerous situations where vision and mobility are essential.
“OBO’s new scientific knowledge will underpin future products and is also helping the company in its transition from a niche manufacturer to a global sports company with the ability to break into larger, more profitable markets,” says Dr Feary.
The new products have the potential to increase OBO’s turnover by as much as 600 per cent in five years.
Mr Barnett has never played a game of hockey in his life but he now gets plenty of feedback from his 13 year old daughter who plays in goal for her Palmerston North Girls’ High School hockey team.
Get used to planning what you’re going to eat each day. Planning helps to stop eating whatever, whenever. Check the labels for the amount of fat, carbs, and protein they contain.This is an example of an eating plan for a player who has a light run in the morning followed by training or game in the afternoon.
Time
Type of meal
Type of foods
Pre-run snack for energy
Glass of water for hydration and a glass of fruit juice for energy
7:00am
Run
8:00am
Breakfast high in carbohydrates to replenish and build up energy stores
Cereal & milk, or toast with jam/honey etc, fruit or fruit juice, water
10:00am
Snack to maintain energy stores
Scone or muffin or muesli bar, fruit, yoghurt, water
12:00pm
Pre training meal 4 hours prior to help build energy stores
Filled rolls or sandwiches, fruit, muesli bar, fruit juice, water
2:30pm
Snack 2 hours prior to training to maintain energy stores
Scone or muffin or muesli bar, fruit, yoghurt, water
Pre training to ensure well hydrated
Water
4:00pm
Training/game
During training for hydration (and energy)
Water (but for high intensity training or long cardio use a sports drink)
After training to replenish energy stores
Sports drink, muesli bar, water, fruit. Protein (drink) for muscle growth.
Get used to planning what you’re going to eat each day. Planning helps to stop eating whatever, whenever. Check the labels for the amount of fat, carbs, and protein they contain.This is an example of an eating plan for a player who has a light run in the morning followed by training or game in the afternoon.