The technology behind the Olympics
Geoffrey Blain
Issue date: 3/2/10 Section: Technology
Geoffrey Blain
Technology Editor
The Winter Olympics are over for the next four years.
These Olympics brought an unforeseen level of Canadian pride, some new national heroes and also, some incredible examples of technology at work. And while the technology probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the past two weeks, there truly were some incredible uses of technology that provide examples of just how far our society has come.
One of the first examples we were given an opportunity to see, and actually well before the Olympics even started, is the Olympic torch. Canadian train and plane manufacturer, Bombardier, is so proud of their accomplishment that they have been running commercials throughout the Games to make sure that everyone knows that they were responsible for that particular Olympic symbol.
As the commercials portray, Bombardier designed the flame to withstand the worst that the Canadian climate could produce. Using a fuel blend of propane and isobutene, the torch's flame can withstand temperatures as low as -38 degrees Celsius and even the harshest winter winds. The torch's flame survived 106 days, 1,000 communities and 45,000 km.
Believe it or not, an interesting technology has landed alongside the rocks and brooms of curling rinks as well. For those who don't know, when a curler delivers a rock they have to release it from their hand before they cross the hog line. The rocks used in the Olympic game were integrated with a magnetic strip inside the rock and another was frozen into the ice. The handle on the rock is touch sensitive and is used to determine whether the curlers hand was still on the rock when it crossed the hog line.
If the curler released the rock in time, a green light goes on near the officials. If they held on a little too long, a red light appears.
While impressive, the most used, and perhaps most important, technology is for the timing of races. Often times, the difference between a gold and a silver is a matter of hundredths of a second. To ensure that the times are as accurate as possible, the timing of events is one of the most crucial aspects involved when administering an Olympic event.
The duty of developing all the telemetry instruments for the Games belonged to OMEGA Watches, the official timekeeper of the Olympic games. OMEGA first filled the position at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games when it provided 30 stopwatches to be used at each of the medal events.
OMEGA is responsible for all the motion-sensitive timers that are used at all the finish lines. They have been redeveloped each Olympics games to improve the accuracy of the timing, especially as Olympic and world records are now measured in miniscule amounts of time. OMEGA also produces photo finishes at the lines so that a manual decision can be made for extremely close races.
When considering how little time can make a difference between a gold medal or a silver, these technologies are of paramount importance to the Games.
Technology Editor
The Winter Olympics are over for the next four years.
These Olympics brought an unforeseen level of Canadian pride, some new national heroes and also, some incredible examples of technology at work. And while the technology probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the past two weeks, there truly were some incredible uses of technology that provide examples of just how far our society has come.
One of the first examples we were given an opportunity to see, and actually well before the Olympics even started, is the Olympic torch. Canadian train and plane manufacturer, Bombardier, is so proud of their accomplishment that they have been running commercials throughout the Games to make sure that everyone knows that they were responsible for that particular Olympic symbol.
As the commercials portray, Bombardier designed the flame to withstand the worst that the Canadian climate could produce. Using a fuel blend of propane and isobutene, the torch's flame can withstand temperatures as low as -38 degrees Celsius and even the harshest winter winds. The torch's flame survived 106 days, 1,000 communities and 45,000 km.
Believe it or not, an interesting technology has landed alongside the rocks and brooms of curling rinks as well. For those who don't know, when a curler delivers a rock they have to release it from their hand before they cross the hog line. The rocks used in the Olympic game were integrated with a magnetic strip inside the rock and another was frozen into the ice. The handle on the rock is touch sensitive and is used to determine whether the curlers hand was still on the rock when it crossed the hog line.
If the curler released the rock in time, a green light goes on near the officials. If they held on a little too long, a red light appears.
While impressive, the most used, and perhaps most important, technology is for the timing of races. Often times, the difference between a gold and a silver is a matter of hundredths of a second. To ensure that the times are as accurate as possible, the timing of events is one of the most crucial aspects involved when administering an Olympic event.
The duty of developing all the telemetry instruments for the Games belonged to OMEGA Watches, the official timekeeper of the Olympic games. OMEGA first filled the position at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games when it provided 30 stopwatches to be used at each of the medal events.
OMEGA is responsible for all the motion-sensitive timers that are used at all the finish lines. They have been redeveloped each Olympics games to improve the accuracy of the timing, especially as Olympic and world records are now measured in miniscule amounts of time. OMEGA also produces photo finishes at the lines so that a manual decision can be made for extremely close races.
When considering how little time can make a difference between a gold medal or a silver, these technologies are of paramount importance to the Games.
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