Asia Winter Science Popularization Issue 8丨“Hard-core” technology equipment blessing, ice and snow sports double the fun

As the national ice and snow consumption market continues to heat up, many places continue to make efforts to encourage more people to participate in ice and snow sports, and more technological elements are also incorporated into it, providing " hard core " support for ice and snow sports.

On major e-commerce platforms, words related to "skiing" have become a hot search, and the sales of ski suits, snow gear and other equipment have increased significantly. Among them, "hardcore" equipment with a strong sense of technology, such as virtual reality (VR) ski goggles, foldable skis, and heated snow sports shoes, are popular among many young consumers. They are not only stylish in appearance, but also powerful in function, allowing sports enthusiasts to better enjoy the fun of ice and snow.

VR ski goggles: integrating training, positioning and other functions in one

If you see someone talking to himself while wearing goggles at the ski resort, please don’t be surprised. Maybe he is just controlling the glasses with voice.

In the 2023 ice and snow season, a pair of VR ski goggles with video chat function are highly sought after in many ski resorts in China. In addition to basic functions such as scratch resistance, waterproofness, and defogging, this pair of VR ski goggles is also equipped with a high-definition camera, which can directly record the scenery seen by skiers during exercise into a video and send it to the user's mobile phone via Bluetooth.

" Using human-computer interaction technology, this pair of VR ski goggles can present a virtual floating interface in front of the skier's eyes. Skiers do not need to use any external equipment and can complete various functional operations through line of sight or language commands. " A staff member of the VR ski goggles manufacturer told reporters that, for example, the user can send a message or voice with just a blink of the eyes, and can even "throw" a virtual snowball.

In addition, VR ski goggles can also help beginners practice skiing skills and add fun to skiing training. "We added virtual obstacles on the ski track, and skiers wearing VR ski goggles will get points after crossing the virtual obstacles." VR ski goggles manufacturer staff said that VR ski goggles are equipped with a positioning and navigation module, which can not only help users locate and determine directions, but also share location information with other users .

It is worth mentioning that VR ski goggles can provide information such as weather, wind direction, and skiing height at any time. Based on this information, skiers can better choose the skiing route and improve the safety of outdoor sports.

Foldable skis: from long to short in seconds

"I finally bought a foldable ski board, which makes it more convenient to go skiing in Zhangjiakou. Genting Ski Resort is waiting for me." A Beijing ski enthusiast wrote in the comment section of the Genting Ski Park Four Seasons Resort WeChat official account.

Since November 2020, passengers on the Chongli branch line of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed ​​Railway are no longer allowed to carry snow equipment with a total length, width and height exceeding 130 cm. The emergence of foldable skis has undoubtedly delighted many ski enthusiasts.

There is a lock-like device at the "crease" of the foldable snowboard. Press the two buckles at the front and back of the foldable snowboard to open the lock. Then gently lift it up, and with a "click", the snowboard changes from 1.74 meters to 0.9 meters. The folding "transformation" is completed in just a few seconds.

When riding on a snowy field, safety is an important issue. Will the safety of foldable skis be compromised?

"Don't worry about that at all." The agent of the foldable ski brand told reporters that the manufacturer installed a four-axis fixing device at the folding part of the foldable ski to make the connection more stable. At the same time, the manufacturer added a gasket between the ski and the binding (the part that connects the ski and the ski boots) to enhance the stability of the skier when turning corners.

Heating snow sports shoes: sustainable heating for more than 2.5 hours

" In the snow at minus 25 degrees Celsius, this pair of shoes can provide continuous heating for users for 2.5 hours to 5 hours. " A relevant person in charge of the manufacturer of heat-generating snow sports shoes told reporters that the heat energy of this pair of shoes comes from the internal flexible battery and elastic heating sheet.

"Just looking at the appearance, the heating snow sports shoes are no different from ordinary sports shoes, and you can't tell that there are batteries inside them." The relevant person in charge of the product manufacturer said that the flexible battery installed in the shoes weighs only a hundred grams. This flexible battery can be stretched and bent at will, and people will not feel a foreign body when wearing the shoes. With the magnetic buckle fastened, the flexible battery can be connected to the elastic heating plate in the shoe through an elastic wire, so that the heating plate heats up, thereby continuously keeping the user's feet warm. In addition, the temperature of the heating snow sports shoes can be adjusted, ranging from 38 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees Celsius.

According to the relevant person in charge of the manufacturer of heating snow sports shoes, the power of flexible batteries is generally 1000 mAh to 20,000 mAh. The researchers designed a safety layer for the flexible battery, which can effectively prevent water. Even if people wear these shoes for a long time walking in the snow, they don't have to worry about leakage.

Smart ski insoles: a "personal ski coach" on the soles of your feet

In addition to heating snow sports shoes, the "black technology" of ice and snow equipment on the feet also includes smart ski insoles. This insole is called a "personal ski coach" that steps on the soles of the feet. It can collect data such as foot pressure, movement acceleration and sliding path during the user's skiing process.

This unprepossessing "ski coach" consists of an ultra-thin insole with a thickness of only about 1 mm and a battery communication module. The smart ski insole is equipped with signal trackers, pressure sensors, and 9-axis 3D motion acceleration sensors, etc. They can obtain the user's sliding posture, turning arc, take-off and landing angles and other motion parameters.

The battery communication module in the smart ski insole can store and analyze the collected data in real time and give suggestions for action improvement. The insole is connected to the relevant mobile phone app via wireless Bluetooth, and can provide voice guidance to the user through headphones, or feedback action improvement suggestions to the user through the display.

In addition, smart ski insoles can provide users with technical guidance for different skiing events, and analyze the trends of their sports data and the differences between them and professional skiers, thereby improving the user's skiing level.

For professional athletes, smart ski insoles will summarize and organize the recorded data. Through data analysis, coaches can further improve training models, increase training efficiency, and continuously improve the competitive level of athletes.

Source: Comprehensive from Science and Technology Daily

First instance: Sun Yu

Second trial: Suo Yingxing

Third review: Shi Guoli

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