Olympic skeleton athletes will hit the ice next month in Vancouver, where one-hundredths of a second can dictate the difference between victory and defeat.

Using state-of-the-art flow measurements, engineering professor Timothy Wei and students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., are employing science and technology to help the U.S. skeleton team trim track times and gain an edge over other sliders.

“Not much is known about the actual mechanics of skeleton, so we developed a unique suite of tools to help pull back the curtain a bit,” said Wei, head of Rensselaer’s Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering, who has previously worked with U.S. Olympic swimming coaches and athletes. “Even in the short time since developing the system, we have learned a whole lot more about how the athlete’s suit, helmet, body movements, and positioning affect aerodynamics.”

“The real-time aerodynamics work that Rensselaer has provided for us has helped to fine-tune our athletes’ body positions and equipment in a way that we’ve never experienced before,” said USA Skeleton Technology Coordinator Steve Peters. “These new concepts will give our athletes the data they need to remain competitive with the rest of the world.”  News Release