ChosunBiz [IF] Technology Lends Support to Team Korea<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The Korean ski jumping team, real-life inspirations of the movie Take Off, announced that they will “try again in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics” after failing to advance to the final round.

▲ Hyun-ki Kim competing at Pyeongchang /By Jong-chan Oh

Technology is lending support to the Korean ski jumping team facing new challenges. As part of Sports Science Research Project for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Professors Haecheon Choi and Ho-Young Kim of Seoul National University’s Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering developed a way to improve the performance of ski jumpers. Prof. Choi corrected the jumping forms of team members in the wind tunnel laboratory, originally used in automotive or aircraft aerodynamics. He commented that “Hyun-ki Kim can reach 112m in his original position, but with the new jumping form tested in the wind tunnel experiments, he is able to reach 138m” and expected that the results “will help improve his performance in the next Olympics.”

Prof. Kim created a new type of wax applied to the bottom of skis, reducing kinetic friction by as much as 20%. The research team added carbon nanoparticles with diamond crystal structure to the ski wax. Prof. Kim explained that “there’s a thin layer of water between the ski and the ice. The carbon particles repel the water, decreasing friction by reducing the area of contact.” He has applied for patent for the carbon nanoparticle wax and is pushing for commercialization with domestic and international businesses.

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