Tech News
Researchers reduce the load for big-breasted women
By Stevie Smith
Dec 10, 2007, 11:03 GMT

While the prospect of incorporating cutting-edge chip technology into women’s bras to govern improved movement is probably some way off, a university research team working out of Wollongong in Australia has revealed an ‘intelligent’ material designed to provide better support for bigger breasts.

"Apart from strap-related pain, many females, particularly large-breasted women are restricted from participating in physical activity due to exercise-induced breast pain associated with excessive vertical breast displacement," commented the team regarding its sensor-equipped fabric, which detects movement while women are walking, jogging, or performing other vigorous exercise, and can even reduce breast pain and the possibility of nerve damage.

"As breast mass increases, breast bounce momentum also increases, placing large loads on the straps and, in turn, excessive pressure on the wearer’s shoulders," added the researchers in a Telegraph report, while also claiming that current bra design sees strapping carrying much of the energy generated during physical activity.

It is believed that the new fabric and its in-built sensors will allow bra manufacturers to create much more comfortable support for all women, not just those more generously endowed. And, that possibility will likely be welcomed by the majority of women, not least because as many as 80 percent of them are believed to be wearing incorrect bra sizes.

The tests were carried with the assistance of two women (30 and 39) with breast sizes of 36D and 38DD, both of whom were monitored using an exercise treadmill on two different speeds (4mph and 6mph). The results revealed that when walking at the lower speed, their breasts moved between 0.4 inches to a full inch, while when jogging at the higher speed, the volunteer with 38DD breasts showed movement of 2.7 inches against 2.1 inches displayed by the woman with 36D breasts.

The team hopes that its sensor-based material will help bra manufacturers to better evaluate exactly how their design changes will transfer over to the person wearing the final product. "Our results show that the fabric sensors are suitable to monitor breast motion and brassiere function," they said in the report, which is to be published in the Journal of Biomechanics.