Earlier we have seen how advanced technology from NASA and several other sources were used to give Speedo’s LZR Racer swimsuit extraordinary qualities. Considering the outstanding performance of the product it is not surprising that this thinking spreads to other sports. Right now, for instance, there is a cool experiment (Swedish) going on with cross-country skis in Sweden. An interesting difference is that while Speedo’s swimsuit was developed at a deliberate intersection where they harnessed the skills of experts from diverse fields this idea is more coincidental. And it did didn’t come from the sport people.
When some technicians who work with the Swedish combat aircraft Gripen heard that Norwegian skiers had successfully used sandpaper instead of ski wax to prepare cross country skis they got an idea. To make the colour attach well to the surface of the airplane they use an advanced technique where they blast it with minuscule plastic balls. That way they achieve pretty much the same effect as with sandpaper but with much more precision. Basically, they realized that they could do the same thing as the Norwegians – only better. Naturally, they didn’t contact them to tell them this – the Norwegians are annoyingly good as it is. Instead they approached their countryman Oskar Svärd who is one of the top long distance skiers in the world.
The precision with which they can use this technique makes it possible to adjust the surface for different temperatures and snow qualities. They have now made several pairs of skis for Svärd. He has tested them and is really pleased with the result. He will use them this winter and if he is successful it might change the sport as well as attitudes to the Gripen project in Sweden. It is ridiculously advanced and expensive and heavily criticized. But if it can help Svärd beat the Norwegians at cross-country skiing...
/Kristian Ribberström
Cool stuff! Hopefully they're reclaiming all of those plastic balls and not letting them get into general circulation...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt-MivNezes
See what I mean?
Posted by: Josh Leeger | January 22, 2009 at 02:57 PM
Hah thats a great idea. I wonder do they look at look at ski jumps, and theeind resistance encountered
Posted by: Sympathy | January 28, 2009 at 11:31 PM
Fair dues to them. It is a good option to explore
Posted by: Saint Patrick | February 10, 2009 at 12:34 PM
This is what I called - knowing your enemies and using their technology against them. Recent technological advancement and scientific breakthroughs are now, not only limited to one industry or field, but have now been use interdependently with one another to benefit many fields. Used skis are no longer just your everyday skis, as they have evolved into one that even NASA can use in the outer space. The technique of using sandpaper and evolving it into sophistication would be a great advantage to the Swedish to win the cross-country competition. Let us just hope that the Norwegian will not find out about it but since they are clever, they might eventually discover it and sadly, win the competition.
Posted by: Jack likes used skis | September 18, 2010 at 11:14 PM
Wow, really cool, that's an exciting stuff!
Posted by: video converter reviews | August 30, 2011 at 02:43 AM
Interesting article. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Siste nytt | November 02, 2011 at 03:01 PM