BAE engineers to develop equipment for Team GB at next Olympics
Baku, September 14 (AZERTAC). Improved racing wheelchairs and Tae Kwondo simulator to give athletes the edge at Rio 2016.
BAE Systems has shown off a new wheel that increases the acceleration of wheelchair racers and a Tae Kwondo simulator from its renewed partnership with UK Sport.
BAE Systems and UK Sport have a four year partnership, which will see the defence firm donate £800,000 worth of engineer's time, equipment and materials to UK Sport. The arrangement is an extension of an existing partnership, which saw the company develop equipment that has helped train athletes in more than 20 sports between 2008 and 2012.
Engineers at BAE Systems' Bristol R&D centre developed the wheel, which the company said increases the acceleration of the racing wheelchairs by up to 20%.
The advanced composite wheel is lighter and three times stiffer than previous wheel designs. Its rigidity reduces a force known as “toe-in” - where the wheel bends inwards - caused by wheelchair athletes' characteristic “punching” motion on their push stroke. The increased lateral stiffness means the new wheels no longer bend inwards, reducing friction between them and the track, improving speed and acceleration.
Kelvin Davies, BAE System`s technical lead on the project, said: “The challenge with the wheel was to take it forward to the next stage.” Engineers looked at the existing wheel and decided it could perform better if it was stiffer and lighter.
The wheel was produced in partnership with Draft, who develop sports wheelchairs and high performance sports company Angle Consultancy.
Preparatory work is also already underway with wind-tunnel technology and aerodynamics expertise to help improve the racing speed of the GB Bobsleigh Team ahead of the Winter Games in Sochi next year.
The company has also begun investigating a simulator to enable GB Taekwondo athletes to develop new skills, while significantly reducing the risk of injury through repetitive impact. This follows work with GB Taekwondo in refining their scoring techniques in the build-up to London, where their athletes won a gold and a bronze medal.
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