Getting a grip

Australian cricketers don't seem to need much help scoring runs, but a hi-tech cricket bat from sports manufacturer

could do just that.

Its innovative design reduces zinging vibrations felt by batsmen when they strike the ball and gives them greater freedom to hit out. The handle is equipped with piezoelectric sensors, actuators and a vibration-absorbing synthetic material that converts shockwaves from ball impact into heat and dampens vibration by generating waves in the opposite direction.

The bat's carbon fibre shell with a polymer insert employs technology called active vibration control which can effectively increase the 'sweet spot' — the zone in which batsmen experience the least discomfort.

The man behind the design is Sabu John, an Indian-born, UK-educated mechanical engineer from Melbourne's RMIT University. The idea for the bat first came to him in the 1990s. He said he noticed vibration reduction developments in sports equipment like baseball bats and tennis rackets in the US market.