Wilson Sporting Goods, the maker of the official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA), has created a 3D-printed airless basketball that is resilient against hard-hitting impact across the court. The ‘3D Airless Prototype Basketball’ debuted on the first round of the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest with Houston Rockets player Kenyon Martin Jr. making a slam dunk on his third attempt with the innovation.
The ball is 3D-printed in one piece, designed to be fully playable, and is nearly on par with the standard basketball in terms of weight, size, and rebound. It doesn’t need to be inflated, as it gets its superpower from its lattice of eight panel-like ‘lobes’. The prototype was created by Wilson Labs, with computational design by General Lattice, additive manufacturing by EOS, and color and finishing by DyeMansion.
According to Wilson, the ‘3D Airless Prototype Basketball’ won’t replace the official NBA basketball. Rather, it is a symbol of the company’s commitment to innovation in sports. Bob Thurman, the brand’s VP of innovation, describes the prototype as only a dot on the development path, emphasizing that it will require some tweaking before it can be used in courts around the world.
The company is thrilled by the possibilities that the prototype represents, with already playable iterations spelling possibilities for future products, even for those used for other sports. Wilson details that the design is a tried-and-true symbol of its commitment to innovation in sports, making it clear that the meshed ball won’t replace the official NBA basketball.
via Wilson
Comments
