Get Email Updates from Google
Powerballs – New grip-strengthening exercise device
Powerball is the common name for gyro exercisers as the Dynabee gyroscopic grip-strengthening exercise device, which was originally produced by Dynabee from Variety Plastics in the USA. It is a gyroscopic toy sold commercially as a wrist exerciser device or as powerball. It can be started with a short rip string or by a snap of the thumb. Once the gyroscope inside is going fast enough, a person holding it in his hand can accelerate the gyroscope to incredibly high revs by following a circular wrist motion with the device. Modern devices come with electronic rev counters (current record is 16,317rpm, set by Akis Kritsinelis from Greece . He has also set a 90 second strength record of 20,082 revolutions see video.
Akis – The Powerball Champion! – World Record!
|
The most advanced Powerball model for today is a 350Hz Metal – this powerball is made completely of metal and has twice the weight of “regular” powerball models. This powerball is harder to operate, since it could give in about 25kg of torque when internal rotor is rotating at high revs. The current “world record” for the metal Powerball is 13,731rpm, set by Akis Kritsinelis
Another full metal powerball is the Ironpower powerball you can buy this with a aluminium rotor or German made RVS steel rotor and or upgrades, this metal powerball was on the Market more than a year before the metal powerball out of Asia and has a German CNC precision. ( not suited for a counter) See the difference of the rotors from the ironpower en the Nanosecond version in this link Picture of both rotors
In the December of 2006 new Powerball model has been introduced. The model name is “Powerball Signature”. This powerball is made of mirror-gray plastic and features much more stable rotor and “saphire” white LEDs. There is a video of this powerball model working available.
Nanosecond’s Powerball was the first to feature electronic rev counters, and a generator with some light-emitting diodes, making this toy and training tool more attractive for professional and educational use.
At first sight the physics of this device looks confusing, but is surprisingly simple. It can easily be understood with a little knowledge of gyroscopes. Their striking property is that the axis of a spinning gyroscope will resist a force applied to it and will start rotating perpendicular to the force applied.
The axis of the gyroscope in the gyro powerball is fixed to the spinning mass and it rests in a little groove inside the wrist exerciser device, which almost completely covers the gyroscope inside it, except for a small round opening on top of it, which is where you can manually start the gyroscope. Once the gyro is spinning, tipping the device will cause the gyroscope to start precessing, with its axis slipping around in the groove in a circular fashion. The groove inside the device, is a little wider than the axis, and the gyroscope’s evasive action towards the externally applied force will cause one end of the axis to push against the upper rim of the groove, while the other end of the axis pushes against the lower rim of the groove. While the axis is slipping around inside the groove, the friction between the axis and the groove rims will accelerate or brake the spinning gyroscope, with a maximum effect when the axis starts “rolling” inside the groove. Since this friction force is essential for the device’s operation, the groove must not be lubricated. The acceleration of the gyroscope is best when the precession of the gyroscope is supported and amplified by wrist motion.
So, if you need to increase your wrist strength, for martial arts, climbing, weight trianing or golf, then buy a powerball today.
Tweet Me!
|
One Response to “Powerballs – New grip-strengthening exercise device”
Post Your Message
[...] is a relatively new way to increase wrist strength. We first reported on it last year – Powerballs – New Grip Strengthening Device. (Amazon currently have a selection of Powerballs on [...]