Skeleton Sliding
19 Feb 2010 by Evoluted New Media
As the UK\'s Amy Williams takes the skeleton world by storm, a group of researchers sets out to find out what happens when athletes throws themselves down the track
As the UK\'s Amy Williams takes the skeleton world by storm, a group of researchers sets out to find out what happens when athletes throws themselves down the track
Professor Timothy Wei and students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have used science and technology to help the US skeleton team shave seconds off their time.
“Not much is known about the actual mechanics of skeleton, so we developed a unique suite of tools to help pull back the curtains a bit,” said Wei, “Even in the short time since developing the system, we have learned a whole lot more about how the athlete’s suit, helmet, body movements, and positioning affect aerodynamics.”
In the skeleton there are no breaks and no steering mechanism; athletes lie face down and use their body to manoeuvre their sleds down an icy track, reaching speeds of 70 mph.
Wei knew that wind resistance created by the athlete affects their time, so built a system capable of monitoring several variables to monitor the drag. Variables included clothing, headgear, athlete’s body position as well as the sled.
A sled was placed on sensors and athletes were asked to navigate a replica section of a skeleton track while data was sent to a computer for analysis. Athletes could also monitor the effects of their movements on a screen below them.
“This is more information than these athletes have ever had about the impact of what they’re doing while sliding,” Wei said, “It was a real eye-opener for them.”
Wei also used theatrical fog and a video-based flow measurement technique called Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) to test the athletes, suits and headgear. He hopes the method could be used to pinpoint movements of air at enable athletes to reduce their drag.
