Quantitative Materials Testing
Quantitative force absorption testing for ProtectShin athletic guards was conducted at Northwestern University's Prosthetics-Orthotics Center. The lab generously provided us access to its force plate for measuring load peaks. The testing procedure involved dropping various weights onto the ProtectShin guard to evaluate load peaks. To safeguard the force plate from the impact of 25-pound weights dropped from a height of 0.75 meters, a 17 x 17-inch wooden board was placed on top of it. This procedure was repeated for a control test and three different sports guard brands, including ProtectShin. The recorded data is presented in the graphs below.
The image on the left shows the ProtectShin guard resting on the force plate immediately after a weight was dropped on it.
Data
Control
We dropped weights onto the force plate to identify a reference data point for absorption calculations.
Generic Guard, $45.99
We tested a generic, non-name brand guard purchased from Amazon. This brand's product does not claim to offer superior shock absorbency, unlike Adidas or ProtectShin.
Adidas Guard, $49.99
We tested a name-brand Adidas guard to observe how ProtectShin compares to some of its largest competitors in the current sports equipment market.
ProtectShin Guard, $54.99
We tested the absorbancy of our own guard to prove that it lives up to our slogan of "Double the ProtectShin for the same price!"
Results
ProtectShin, with a peak only half as sharp as other tested guards, offers twice the protection and shock absorption of its competitors at nearly the same price. Its shallow peak demonstrates that only half the force bypassed the guard's protective technology and impacted the force plate compared to other guards tested.