Wednesday 9 June 2010
Commercialisation of the first ever power heated wet suit
Rip Curl, a brand synonymous with surfing products and culture, recently released a heated wet suit called the H Bomb.
The company, in its continuous search to advance wet suit design and manufacture, recently accessed the Australian Institute of Commercialisation’s (AIC) TechFast program to assist in this objective.
The TechFast program assists businesses across all industry sectors to solve product issues, to access technical capability and to identify new growth opportunities. It does this by identifying and linking businesses with the best people and organisations.
Rip Curl worked with the Australian Institute for Commercialisation (AIC) to identify new technologies and advanced materials to use in the development of the second generation H Bomb wet suit to secure its place at the forefront of wet suit performance and design.
Rip Curl worked with the Australian Institute for Commercialisation (AIC) to establish the most effective ways to progress development of the H Bomb, which included obtaining access to new materials and a university research testing facility.
Researchers evaluated a number of product samples in order to modify surface characteristics of the wet suit. The resultant material characteristic improved the suit’s heat distribution profile.
This technology enhancement significantly reduced heat loss, and resulted in lower battery power consumption, allowing the H Bomb to operate longer from its existing power source. This benefit offers considerable cost advantages as the equivalent enlargement of the battery unit to achieve the same performance gain would be far more expensive and bulky.
The AIC is a leading service organisation helping innovators achieve commercial success. Around
Media Contact:
Rowan Gilmore, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute for Commercialisation
Rowan.Gilmore@ausicom.com +61 7 3853 5225
