About This Project
No one has measured how the design of jumps affects the stability of skiers and snowboarders while jumping. Jumps can be made safer if we measure how riders jump and what design parameters can be optimized to keep them from landing in the wrong place and orientation.Ask the Scientists
Join The DiscussionWhat is the context of this research?
At the University of Washington Applied Biomechanics Lab, we have begun a research program to determine which design elements of jump design are most important to terrain park rider safety.
OUR goal is to improve rider safety
through changes to jump design, equipment, and rider education while maintaining creative flexibility in terrain park design. We want to minimize the risk of three types of falls:- Becoming unintentionally inverted
- Overshooting the landing
- Undershooting the landing
What is the significance of this project?
Very little experimental research has been performed on the factors that influence a rider's ability to stay upright and land on their feet in the correct area of the landing zone.
The most severe injuries such as concussions, traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, and lower extremity injuries occur from the types of falls we are trying to prevent. In 2010, nearly 300,000 snowboarding and skiing injuries were reported in the United States costing over $2.6 Billion [CSPC]. To improve rider safety, experimental data is needed to understand what factors influence a rider's stability and flight path while jumping.What are the goals of the project?
The funds will be used to purchase software and equipment, and pay a graduate student to collect and analyze the data.
Specifically, we are in the process of redesigning our force sensors to be able to withstand the forces from larger jumps. Retooling the sensors is expensive and the cost of new components and machinist time needs to be covered. Your support will also help cover expenses for travel and snow cat fuel and operator time to build various types of jumps to analyze with our measurement system.Budget
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The funds will be used for equipment and software as well as paying a graduate student to validate the measurement system, collect, and analyze the data. Snowcat fuel and operator time must also be paid for.
Meet the Team
Jeffrey Campbell, M.S.
Research Assistant, Applied Biomechanics Lab, University of Washington
Affiliates
- Consultant - Guidance Engineering & Applied Research
- M.S. Mechanical Engineering - University of Washington, 2010
- B.S. Mechanical Engineering - University of Utah, 2008
Team Bio
Jeff is a Mechanical Engineer completing his PhD under Dr. Randy Ching in the Applied Biomechanics Lab at the University of Washington. He has over eight years in biomechanics research and medical device design and over 50+ years of combined biomechanics research experience on his research committee with Dr. Randy Ching and Dr. Irv Scher of Guidance Engineering and Applied Research. He has been skiing since the age of two and as a professional skier, appeared on the covers of several leading ski magazines and was ranked nationally in freeskiing competitions. His experience as an engineer and a skier has given him a unique skill set to analyze the complex biomechanics at play in terrain parks.
Jeffrey Campbell, M.S.
Jeff is a Mechanical Engineer completing his PhD under Dr. Randy Ching in the Applied Biomechanics Lab at the University of Washington. He has over eight years in biomechanics research and medical device design and over 50+ years of combined biomechanics research experience on his research committee with Dr. Randy Ching and Dr. Irv Scher of Guidance Engineering and Applied Research.
He has been skiing since the age of two and as a professional skier, appeared on the covers of several leading ski magazines and was ranked nationally in freeskiing competitions. His experience as an engineer and a skier has given him a unique skill set to analyze the complex biomechanics at play in terrain parks.Additional Information
Project Goals:
- Develop an on-snow measurement system capable of quantifying the biomechanics of ski and snowboard jumping. We have systems implemented to capture body motion and board flex and are currently re-designing our force plates to improve their strength and accuracy. They will be completed by the 2013-2014 ski season.
- Collect experimental data on how skiers and snowboarders react and jump on various jump designs.
- Analyze the experimental data to develop mathematical models (equations).
- Identify what parameters of jumps such as ramp angle, curvature, and landing profile can be optimized to prevent serious injury.
- Use the mathematical models to train ski resorts how to build and design safer jumps and train riders on how to jump and perform tricks safely. This research will be the doctoral thesis of Jeff Campbell and the results will be published in peer reviewed journals as well as several ski and snowboard publications. A final video demonstrating the system and the results from the research will be made publicly available.
Conclusion
Terrain parks are very popular and FUN! And they are here to stay. The interactions of how jumpers shift their center of mass, use the stiffness of their board or skis to 'pop', and how the profile of the jump ramp and landing interact with them are too complex to understand without the experimental data we want to collect. We need to learn how skiers and snowboarders jump in order to minimize the risk of serious injury.Thank you for your support!
Project Backers
- 23Backers
- 13%Funded
- $3,005Total Donations
- $130.65Average Donation
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