The team developed a specially designed sports T-shirt that significantly reduces the force transmitted to the body from high-speed ball strikes by incorporating a protective layer.

The innovation is intended for athletes playing cricket, hockey, football, volleyball, golf and other ball sports.

The T-shirt uses an inner layer treated with a shear-thickening fluid (STF). Under normal conditions, the material remains soft and flexible. However, on impact from a high-speed ball, the fluid instantly stiffens, absorbing and dispersing the force to help protect the wearer's body organs from injury.

The innovation, codenamed ‘RheoShield’, won First Prize and a cash award of Rs 1 lakh, topping more than 700 entries at the national-level hackathon.

In another achievement, a second team from the Department of Fashion Technology received the Special Innovation Recognition Award in the Best Innovation Project category. The all women team—Ms. Supriya E., Monika S. and Kabila Shree N. R.—was recognised for its project, Flame Resistant Finishing on Cotton Fabric Using Natural Resources. The judges commended the project for its sustainable approach, innovative use of natural materials and its potential applications in protective textiles.

SRR Senthilkumar, Principal, Sona College of Technology, said: "These national awards at BharatTex 2026 reflect the culture of innovation and interdisciplinary learning at Sona College. We encourage our students to apply scientific knowledge and engineering principles to develop practical solutions for real-world challenges with societal impact."

Chocko Valliappa, Vice Chairman, Sona Group of Education Institutions, said: "The success of Sona College teams at the national level reflects our commitment to nurturing socially impactful product innovation. It is encouraging to see our students transform ideas into solutions that address real needs while competing successfully on a national stage."

Organised by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, with support from the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), the hackathon aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in technical textiles and functional apparel among young innovators.