Technical wizardry will support 2012’s Paralympic Games
Wheelchair Rugby: Defence
Invented in 1977, this intense Paralympic sport is a mixture of aspects from basketball, handball and ice hockey. Fast-paced and full-contact, it is a sport that demands robust chairs to stand up to the crash of action. Ottobock’s Wolturnus wheelchairs, suitable for wheelchair rugby and basketball, use the latest alloys to create a surface almost as hard as diamond.
Wheelchair rugby also needs more than one design to cope with the different requirements of the field of play. Above is the defence wheelchair. Note the pick bar sticking out at the front. This is designed for striking and holding the opposition.
Wheelchair Rugby: Attack
The winged bumpers around the front of these wheelchairs make them hard to stop and hold, while their cambered wheels make them stable and highly agile.
Metal discs over the wheels are designed to prevent damage to the spokes, but this hard-hitting sport is expected to be one of the busiest for Ottobock’s technicians, who will be standing by with plenty of spare tyres, ready to make good the inevitable damage caused in this aggressively physical contest.
Running blades
Oscar Pistorius is a hard man to catch, but running blades help power the performance of many Paralympic track and field athletes. Depending on the event, design requirements are subtly different. Marathons demand blades that are comfortable over long distances, while sprinters and long jumpers need to focus more on speed and propulsion. It takes more than 80 layers of carbon fibre to make a blade, with the exact number depending on the event. The blade mimics the action of the ball of the human foot, propelling the athletes forward and absorbing the impact to protect their joints.