Britain leading London 2012 technology race

Description

At the recent Summer Olympics in Beijing, Great Britain outfitted its athletes with advanced skinsuits, canoe paddles, and meteorological equipment for sailors. Britain is planning more technological advancements for the next Olympics, including radar tracking for archery, a judo robot, personalized spikes for sprinters, and a miniaturized wireless body sensor to help swimmers improve their tumble turns. U.K. Sport head of research and development Scott Drawer says such advancements are only the beginning. "In 2012 I want to have the most aerodynamic or hydrodynamic teams across all sports, who have the best equipment with the least drag and the strongest, lightest components--who can look across the start line and know that they are in a better position than anyone else," Drawer says. Perhaps the single greatest technical innovation planned for the London Olympics is a wireless sensor, slightly larger than a fingernail, that can sit behind the ear of an athlete and send information to a coach on speed, stride frequency, ...

Original URL

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/london_2012/article4698732.ece

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/london_2012/article4698732.ece