INTRODUCTION: Heavy injuries due to crashes and/ or extraordinary strain cause either long breaks in training and competition or sometimes the end of the career. On the other hand crashes are part of that sport. The development of a sensor-based system solution for alpine skiing, that detects threatening falls on the earliest possible moment, should give the opportunity to initiale appropriate prevention or minimization of the consequences. Last season we started first measurements on German elite skiers in training and, by authority of the FIS, with forerunners at the downhill men and women race at the FIS-WC final 2009/ 2010 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen METHOD: The forerunners were wearing a system consisting of a three dimensional gyroscope, a three dimensional acceterometer, a GPS antenna and a data logger developed by 20 Debus & Diebold 'Messsysteme'. The GPS data were sampled with a rate of 12.5 Hz, the analog data with a rate of 800 Hz. The antenna was fixed on the helmet, the data logger with the sensors on the back under the protector. All measurements were stored in a database and combined with Video data if possible. RESULTS: Possible main reasons for crashes as velocity, inclination, radius and therefore forces and angular position were calculated for the two downhill runs (FIS-WC finals 2009/2010). The different characteristics of the gyroscopes in the case of crash are monitored in giant slalom for handicapped ski racers. DISCUSSION: We postulated main requests on functionality, which are recognition of the driving condition, initiating appropriate procedures if desired and no negative influence (or equal for all) to the runners. The requests regarding safety are no further risk of injury and no shifting of injuries. Of course, there never should be a faulty activation. The storing in a database gives the opportunity to check every algorithm with all measured runs. In a further step the dependence on the course setting could be used for the recognition of instabilities. Also the influence of other parameters (e.g. physiological) could be attached in the algorithm to improve the system. CONCLUSION: Although this is the beginning of a long process, it could be a way to reduce the enormous amount of injuries in alpine ski racing. if the amount of measurements (e.g. with other groups) can be increased, the database wil be filled quicker and the result will be achieved earlier.
© Copyright 2010 Book of Abstracts. 5th International Congress on Science and Skiing, Dec. 14 - 19, 2010, St. Christoph am Arlberg. Veröffentlicht von University of Salzburg, Interfakultärer Fachbereich Sport- und Bewegungswissenschaft/USI. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.