

Odell Beckham’s Helping Hands – the Tech Behind the Catch - dnetesn
http://nautil.us/blog/odell-beckhams-helping-handsthe-tech-behind-the-catch

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nesquikr0x
"... Beckham’s are custom-made versions of the Nike Vapor Jet 3.0, which
features molded fingers, a “strategic mesh,” and “MagniGrip CL” on the palms
and fingers. MagniGrip CL is a sticky material made from a mix of neoprene and
silicone designed to help receivers hold on to a ball."

That's about the only "tech" in this article. Wish they would've done a little
bit more like go into why neoprene and silicone are particularly good at
gripping a football (which is made out of ...?).

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papad
Yea I thought the most interesting thing was the very brief mention of "Future
models might use one of the gecko-inspired materials that let people climb up
walls using Van der Waals attractive forces."

I think there have been attempts at trying to create Gecko-like adhesives like
this:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geckel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geckel).
But I am pretty sure there are a lot of details that Geckos have
evolved/optimized for - surface area/shape of their setae/legs, angle of
contact from their hyperextended toes, ability to stick in different
humidities etc. - that would be difficult to recreate for football receivers
on the field to actually take advantage of Van der Waals forces.

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ChikkaChiChi
This stuff: [https://www.inventables.com/technologies/suction-cup-
tape](https://www.inventables.com/technologies/suction-cup-tape) was first
"widely" used on the bottom of the Palm Pre charger. It's great to have
around, provided you can keep the surface somewhat clean.

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brianpan
I thought Cris Carter only caught touchdowns.

