Hardwood floors have been a staple of basketball courts for decades, but a German company sells an unconventional upgrade: glass. Although it may sound contraindic or dangerous, ASB Glassfloor products already receive hot receptions from both NBA and university teams.
“I don’t know what I was expecting, but it squeaks like a real basketball court” said at the beginning of last season. “It just functions as a normal basketball court, but it shows our photo, which is crazy.”
Playing at a glass court is not as worrying as it sounds. This is because the design of ASB depends on several layers of engineering and technological reinforcements, including hardened safety glass with a high strength, along with a double spring aluminum substructure for shock absorption. The surface layer of the glass floor also receives a computer -controlled deep etc. to create a matte texture with low friction. While playing on an ASB court is perhaps almost identical to a standard court, the underlying physics is said to be safer and more precise experience. This is partly due to a last layer of ceramic dots that cover the surface, making more controlled sliding in wet conditions.
The end result is a basketball court that looks like a huge television or smartphone screen – which is all part of the ASB plan. Their floors, previously exhibited in Arenas in Germany and Greece, as well as in the NBA All-Star Weekend 2024, are adaptable thanks to a low LED lambrization. This means that a team or facility can project almost everything on the field via a smartphone or computer. Apart from player statistics, advertisements and decorative flowering, ASB floors can also be programmed for practice regimes outside the actual games. Installing the Glass Court also hypothetically reduces the need for multiple hardwood stacks, as well as all the time and money they exchange in the exchange or updates in the neighborhood.
However, the costs remain a disadvantage for many locations. While the ASB Glassfloor’s Americas Division director Craig Thornton would not specify a price point for the Associated PressIt is confirmed that it is much more expensive than a classic hardwood setup. So while large budget locations for universities and the NBA may be open to investing in high-tech floors, the glass alternative remains out of reach for most elementary and secondary school teams. But according to Thornton it is only a matter of time before glass floors occur more often in sport.
“I use this analogy a lot: we are in the first phases of the iPhone that are launched … Long ago when Apple did … The original iPhone was just a phone, a text device and music player,” he said. “Now you run all your life and communicate to the world. I see this in the same way.”
More Deals, Reviews and Purchase Guides