Wednesday marks the start of the 2010 Olympic half-pipe competitions and the University of British Columbia has an engineering student available to discuss how he’s working to make the sport safer.
Aaron Coret was an avid freestyle snowboarder until a fall in 2005 left him paralyzed from the neck down. Back then, there was no way to perfect tricks before trying them out on hard snow.
Coret used his accident as an inspiration and designed a Landing Pad to help snowboarders practice tricks more safely. The 15-by-27-metre inflatable pillow provides a cushion for snowboarders and skiers who can ride out their tricks if they land properly, or fall safely if they don’t. The Landing Pad has been developed for slope-style tricks but Coret’s working on a product that can be used by half-pipe snowboarders.
For more information and to see video footage of the Landing Pad click here.
To discuss the Landing Pad or Coret’s start-up company, Katal Innovations, contact:
Aaron Coret, 4th-year student, UBC Integrated Engineering program
- Email: aaroncoret@gmail.com
- Cell: (604) 323-3821
Visit UBC’s Online 2010 Media Centre — www.ubc.ca/2010media — to connect with UBC 2010 experts, story ideas and students from your country.
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