Hi! I wonder, what will racquets look like in the year, let say, 2050? If we compare racquets from 1880 and 2007... ehm, they differ I would say ;).


http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/874/55008969.JPG
(From http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Home/Sports-Games-Recreation/Ball-Games/Badminton/Rackets)

What do you think will change? Where are the possible improvements? Do we already have a perfect racquets? What will a technology bring to this field?
Active string bed (increased tension on weak/drop shots and decreased in smashes)?
Moving balance point (a small weight fastened to the spring in the shaft which would move to the head in fast strokes and therefore increase swingweight)?

Wake your imagination up and tell your opinion! :)

Strings made of concentrated electron beams, they'll never break, and you can tweak the tension by cranking a switch under the cap.

Kind of like a lightsabre, only it won't burn the shuttle upon impact, :p

Wake your imagination up and tell your opinion! :)
:p..wow, any possibilities are there:cool:...Rackets might(most likely) even cost double or triple or more than they are today..:rolleyes::eek:

We need Jerby's artwork at hand to envision what the future racket will look like! :D

hmm i don't think there will be even racquets at all..it would be like Nintendo Wii =)

hmm i don't think there will be even racquets at all..it would be like Nintendo Wii =)

Yes, there will be 2 TVs at every badminton court, each facing another side of the court, and little sockets in the net poles. You plug in your wireless controller receivers in the sockets, and from there, play, relying on the TVs as your eyes across court, :p

Would kind of suck if there was ever a power outage, :D .

Man, TV would be so obsolete.

There won't be any racquets or badminton courts anymore. You'll have a badminton gadget that you set up wherever you want to play and it projects a hologram of a badminton court. You'll also be able to play by yourself with hologram simulated partners and opponents.

where's the fun in that? it is the human contact that defines badminton. :)

I think it will be REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY shiny, so shiny that the sport will be canceled because everyone has gone blind.

We need Jerby's artwork at hand to envision what the future racket will look like! :D
no artwork from me, the racket of the future has already been made :p
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/6370/dsc00579pb2.jpg

In all seriousness, both racketlength and racketwidth are set in the laws of badminton and rackets áre getting more extreme (at700, superlight rackets, extra extra stiff rackets, etc)
But the general trend has always been more towards allroundedness...
so with little room for improvement in weight, length, stiffness and balance...new material is all that's left...

magnetic rackets?:p

EDIT: my apologies for the imagesize...It's too much of a good thing :o

Dear Jerry,

Whay do you get to upload such big picture? Is it because it looooook so goooood?

well, www.imageshack.us does a great job at uploading...
And I just did a ... of the location...

Man, TV would be so obsolete.

There won't be any racquets or badminton courts anymore. You'll have a badminton gadget that you set up wherever you want to play and it projects a hologram of a badminton court. You'll also be able to play by yourself with hologram simulated partners and opponents.

Go even further... like in the Matrix... so we will plug in and download all the training from Zhao Jinhua directly into our brains! Then we would see who is The One! :D

As I see there was just a few concrete suggestions about new technologies. Admit it, it's difficult to imagine how to improve our racquets, they seem so perfect... but time always brings somthing... Just compare skis, for example, 20 years ago and today. A huge difference. And where is the badminton technology in it's evolution? I mentioned carving skis, did anybody think of curved racquets? I don't see how it would help but maybe somebody does... ;) Mine bet is still movable balance point! This could really work!

Rocket propelled rackets that gives you the extra swing speed hehe....

;) Mine bet is still movable balance point! This could really work!
sotx marswood series, moving BP between 240 and 320mm...

It didn't catch on:p:D

sotx marswood series, moving BP between 240 and 320mm...

It didn't catch on:p:D

Can you imagine a movable balance point or better changable swingweight? I imagine there can be some sort of small weight fastened to the strong spring in the shaft (near the handle) which would move to the head only if you would swing fast enough (see the picture). So smashes would be stronger because of the increased swingweight during the stroke and a defence would be better because in short, defend strokes the weight in the shaft would not move, so the racquet would still feel head-light. And you could set the hardness of the spring... :D

sotx marswood had a similar system. small grains of metal (steelsand) where forced up the hollow shaft when you swing fast enough ('centrifugal force' if it exists) But stay in the bottom when you swing slower (defence) due to the slowness of mass.

the result: rinkeling shafts, and unstable performance. Because: there'll be a midline where you just don't swing fast enough to get it headheavy and too fats for a headlight.
Basically it's like playing with two different rackets, unknowing which one it is when you hit...

and just as a sidenote: Matt, I didn't do the artwork!
;)

The future design and technology of badminton rackets is right here:

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/np-tropics/hale1730.jpeg


That is, unless I eat it first.

sotx marswood had a similar system. small grains of metal (steelsand) where forced up the hollow shaft when you swing fast enough ('centrifugal force' if it exists) But stay in the bottom when you swing slower (defence) due to the slowness of mass.

the result: rinkeling shafts, and unstable performance. Because: there'll be a midline where you just don't swing fast enough to get it headheavy and too fats for a headlight.
Basically it's like playing with two different rackets, unknowing which one it is when you hit...;)

I didn't know that such racquets really exist! But I don't like the idea of the sand in the shaft - it would be too slow to move up and down... And how did the sand go back do the handle after the stroke?
I would have two solutions for decreased control:
1. the system could be manual - when you would see that the oponent cleared, you could set the swingweight with the finger near the handle (move the weight in the shaft to the head) and smash.
2. if it would be automatically as I suggested in the first place (with the spring) then there could be another similar system in the handle which would push another weight to the bottom of the handle, so the balance point would not change but the swingweight would! Maybe would be more controlable in this way... The weights should be very light (just a few g) so that you wouldn't feel this too much. But of course, it would have to get used to such racquets... :)

And DinkAlot - if they will start to produce "natural" bamboo racquets, they will open another "forum" besides "feather or plastic" where people would argue about which racquet gives more natural feeling.:p

I would say a modular system hahah. Like you could add or remove parts for swing weight/ balance and feel.

why not make the racket automated. a switch to change the balance point. maybe a small button on the handle. press to change balance point. :D something like F1 technology. heheheheee. a button on the steering to change gears. wouldn't that be something! but i think the racket will be heavier. :)

why not make the racket automated. a switch to change the balance point. maybe a small button on the handle. press to change balance point. :D something like F1 technology. heheheheee. a button on the steering to change gears. wouldn't that be something! but i think the racket will be heavier. :)

haha why not just implant a badminton chip in your head. then when u wanna play with another person, all you need to do is stare into each other's eyes and activate those chips. the two of you will be in another dimension playing virtual badminton so it would be more to a battle of minds than bodies. :cool:

Strings made of concentrated electron beams, they'll never break, and you can tweak the tension by cranking a switch under the cap.

Kind of like a lightsabre, only it won't burn the shuttle upon impact, :p

You mean..this?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v315/stoneytan/25844283245107l.jpg

and hopefully it will come with the "zoom-zoom" sound :p

I look forward to the future!
May the force be with us, badminton jedis!

:D Nice picture kuan84! But the use of the force wouldn't be fair otherwise the racquets wouldn't be needed at all!

haha nice job! they can be doubled as flyswatters as well! haha

It all comes down to skill, whoever is stronger with the force will win, :p