Advanced Traction Yoga Mat

Overview

The Nama-Stay Yoga Mat Capstone Project addresses the issue of insufficient grip on existing yoga mats. Current yoga mats often lack reliable non-slip features, leading to injury and compromised user confidence. The use of a non-slip yoga mat is incredibly important as it directly influences the performance, safety, and overall satisfaction of the user. The group faced two main challenges at the start of this project: Determining the specific environmentally safe material the yoga mat will be constructed from and designing a textured surface in the mat to filter away perspiration and increase overall grip. The group has centered on two materials – natural rubber and natural cork – that show promising ability to address both challenges. To maximize the frictional coefficient between one’s hands and a yoga mat, various samples, all with a different surface texture, are being tested to determine the coefficient of friction. That mat’s final texture will yield a higher friction coefficient than industry standard mats and can be mass-produced. The Nama-Stay Yoga Mat Capstone project will combine both a selection of materials and mechanical design to provide users with a safer and more environmentally conscious choice for yoga.

Objectives

Create a durable yoga mat, that has non-slip features and is composed of eco-friendly materials.

Be able to compete against well-known brands such as Lululemon.

Approach

Define target customers and sponsor needs.

Research various materials and testing methods.

Research production and manufacturing methods for the prototype.

Created 8×8 samples of mats using a variety of combinations for the top and bottom layers and different pattern ridges.

Performed testing of varied materials and dry/damp conditions to select a final design and create our final prototype by comparing the coefficient of friction.

Carried out testing for a Lululemon mat to compare it to our mat’s materials.

Acquire full-size materials from suppliers and build a final prototype.

Outcomes

A 72 x 26 hourglass-shaped yoga mat with perpendicular ridges covering 2 feet at the top and bottom providing a supportive grip made with natural rubber on the bottom and cork on top featuring the Penn State mascot logo in the center. This material combination and ridge pattern had the best performance against the other samples and competed the best with the Lululemon mat.

The final prototype has the following coefficients of friction in the stated conditions:

Dry: 1.248

Damp: 1.132

Wet: 1.089

The Lululemon mat has the following coefficients of friction in the stated conditions:

Dry: 1.489

Damp: 1.243

Wet: 1.178

Although Lululemon’s mat outperforms our prototype, our mat has eco-friendly materials and properties that exceed Lululemon’s.