If you thought that the technology at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games was impressive, you’ll be absolutely amazed at the role that technology has at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The regular Olympics might get the lion’s share of the media attention, but that doesn’t mean that the Paralympics should be ignored. These fine folks are athletes too and, like their Olympic counterparts, they’re looking for any technological advantage that they can over the competition.
The Top Secret Program by Own The Podium
At the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, there will be a total of five different sports being featured: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey, and wheelchair curling. For each of these, the Own The Podium program in Canada has dedicated some funds to help these athletes perform at their best at the games.
More specifically, there is the appropriately named ‘Top Secret’ program that is funded by Own The Podium. This five-year program, which costs $8 million and employs 150 scientists and researchers, is developing all sorts of high-tech gear for the Canadian athletes.
Since the athletes are overcoming certain physical limitations, the technology involved can be even more important than with the regular Olympics. The technology goes so much further than “just” the speed suit, as you can imagine.
Special Sticks for Sledge Ice Hockey
Easily one of the most popular events at the Paralympic Winter Games will be sledge ice hockey. Rather than making their way around on the ice using a conventional pair of ice skates, these athletes make their way around on a sled in a seated position.
It is critical that they can maintain the greatest maneuverability in these sleds and the Top Secret program has developed new blades for the Canadian team. Rather than using the regular dual-edge design, some players will use a special single-edged blade made from low-friction steel.
And the sticks? Sledge hockey players have two sticks rather than one and the butt of each stick is outfitted with a metal pick that the athletes use to move around. Apparently, the Canadian team will be using a new, more efficient pick design too, but it’s still a secret.
No Sweeping for Wheelchair Curling
At the Winter Olympic Games, they used the Eye on the Hog system to ensure that curlers released the rock before the hog line. This technology won’t be needed, per se, for the corresponding event at the Paralympics, because the athletes stay seated in their wheelchairs.
That’s not to say that technology won’t play a role! In fact, because there is no sweeping in wheelchair curling, it is even more important the curlers are more accurate with their shots.
To send the stones down the sheet, the participants can use a special “extender cue” to push the rock. This attaches to the handle of the stone.
Trigger-Happy Biathlon Shooting
Athletes in the biathlon are categorized as standing, sitting, or visually impaired and compete against other athletes in that same class. The other difference from the Olympic biathlon is that the shooting component in the Paralympic biathlon is always from the prone position.
The technology involved in the shooting can be quite fascinating. For the standing participants who have some sort of disability affecting their arms or hands, there can be a special extension cable connected to the trigger (as shown). The gun sight may be modified as well.
Where things get even more interesting is with the visually-impaired competitors. They ski with a guide, but for the shooting, they use a special acoustic system. Different tones are emitted as the rifle is aimed toward the bull’s eye. Can you imagine trying to aim based primarily on sound?
More Speed with Advanced Damper Sit-Skis
Fractions of a second can mean the difference between a gold medal and finishing dead last. As you can imagine, speed is more important to Paralympic athletes than it is when testing a big flash drive. You need to go fast.
For the alpine para-skiers from a seated position, there is a special sit-ski that they use rather than regular skis and poles. To give the athletes better control and speed, scientists have developed an advanced damper system.
The Top Secret sit-ski looks like it has been outfitted with a giant shock absorber. This responds to the needs of the athlete and can adapt dynamically to snow conditions. They can even adjust the racer’s weight distribution with the articulated design and ratchet system, shifting forward for technical control and back for extra speed.
Even the Medals are Techie
If you read my original article on Olympic technology, you might remember that even the medals being awarded are pretty techie. The medals are made from metal that has been extracted from recycled circuit boards. The same process was used to make the Paralympic medals, which look a lot like the Olympic medals. The difference is that they have a rounded square shape rather than the usual circle.
Sumi Knows the Importance of Tech
Even though he was clumped in with the rest of the 2010 Olympic mascots, Sumi is technically the official mascot of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
This is quite fitting, if you think about it. Sumi has the wings of a Thunderbird, legs of a black bear, and the hat of an orca whale. In effect, the mascot is combining the strongest points of different animals to achieve the best possible result, not unlike the advanced technology that the Paralympic athletes use to get an edge.
Either way… GO CANADA GO! Own that podium with Top Secret!