Tennis Racquets

D. Ruh

HEAD Intellifibe^TM System

The HEAD sporting good company has recently launched a variety of tennis racquets that will shape the future of the sport. The new racquets designed by HEAD incorporate bundles of piezoelectric fibers throughout the frame (Figure 1). The piezoelectric fibers convert the mechanical energy, from a tennis ball hitting the racquet, to an electrical response that stiffens the frame providing a decrease in vibration (Figure 2). This energy transformation takes less than a millisecond to occur, and the increased racquet stiffness also provides more control and power.

In addition to the Intellifiber^TM system, HEAD has developed a microchip, located in the handle of the racquet, that multiplies the effectiveness of the piezoelectric fibers (Figure 3). The microchip supplies a voltage to the fibers and increases the stiffness of the electrical response. As a result the racquet has an even higher resistance to vibration as shown by Figure 4. For more information about the IntellifiberÔ system, visit HEAD's interactive website at http://www.head.com/tennis/ .

Figure 1: Piezoelectric fiber bundles in the racquet frame.

Figure 2: Vibration reduction from Intellifibers^TM.

Figure 3: Electronic chip system located in the racquet handle.

Figure 4: Vibration reduction from Intellifibers^TM and ChipSystem^TM.