Ergonomic Flying Disc with Multi-Material Rim
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flying discs used in Ultimate Frisbee can cause injuries due to material hardness, thin rim design, and warping under impact, making throwing and catching challenging, especially for new players.
Innovation Solution
A flying disc with a central portion and a rim portion made of different materials, where the rim is significantly thicker and softer than the central portion, providing improved grip and leverage for throwing and catching, and enhancing stability and aerodynamics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rim thickness is increased to improve grip and leverage, then the ease of operation improves, but the device complexity increases due to multi-material construction
Solution Approach 1:
The disc is divided into distinct functional zones: a central portion for aerodynamic stability and a thickened rim portion for enhanced grip and leverage. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
The rim portion is selectively thickened compared to the central portion, creating local structural enhancement where it is most needed for throwing and catching. This local quality change provides improved grip without uniformly increasing the entire disc's complexity.
2Strength
If a harder material is used for the central portion to maintain structural integrity, then the strength improves, but the object-generated harmful factors increase due to potential injury from hard surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
Different Shore Scale hardness values are assigned to different portions of the disc. The central portion uses harder material (higher Shore Scale) for structural integrity, while the rim portion uses softer material (lower Shore Scale) to reduce injury risk during contact with hands and body.
Solution Approach 2:
The disc employs composite construction with materials of different hardness levels in different zones. This composite approach allows the disc to simultaneously achieve structural strength where needed and injury mitigation where contact occurs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The disc design reduces the risk of injury, improves grip and control, and allows for greater thrust during throwing techniques by utilizing a softer rim portion that conforms to the hand, enhancing the overall throwing and catching experience.
Implementation Method 1
a softer rim portion that conforms to the hand
Data Source
AI summary
A flying disc is disclosed. The flying disc can conform with a disc standard set forth by USA Ultimate. The flying disc can include a first portion that comprises a first material and a second portion that comprises a second material. The first portion has a first thickness from a top surface to a bottom surface. The second portion has a second thickness from an outer edge to an inner edge. The first material has Shore Scale greater than the second material. The second thickness is greater than the first thickness.