The next time you’re running miles upon miles without sliding around in a pool of perspiration, you might want to offer up a quick breath of thanks for the people who make the kind of moisture-wicking clothes you’re wearing. Although Nike’s case, you’ll want to thank Hal, the sweating mannequin.
While poor Hal has to go through the slog of working out all day on a treadmill, he doesn’t get that rush of adrenaline a human does, and his walk is never over. Nope — Nike’s copper man live in its sports research lab at company HQ in Beaverton, Ore., and his main function is just to sweat while wearing new moisture-wicking materials.
The Street got a peek at Hal and other ways Nike tests its athletic clothing at an event that recreated the Nike Sports Research Lab in New York City this week.
Hal has 139 ports that simulate sweating, and he helps keep costs down as “human testing is expensive,” a Nike spokesperson pointed out. Here’s Hal doing his thing, as seen in a Vine by Brian Sozzi of The Street:
He’ll also be used to help Nike develop a material that prevents rubbing and chafing, an experience that anyone with any amount of body fat will tell you is just the worst.
Other product testing at the lab involve live athletes working out in clothing to see how it helps or hinders performance.
Cheer up, Hal. You might not ever get anywhere despite all that walking, but at least everyone knows your name now, unlike nameless live athlete up there.
Inside Nike’s Sports Research Lab: A ‘Sweating’ Mannequin Named Hal [The Street]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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