New device from ETH Zurich to make female runners faster
Published: Friday, Jul 12th 2024, 09:50
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A windshield developed by ETH Zurich aims to make female track and field athletes like Mujinga Kambundji faster. The new device, called "Airshield", allows athletes to train with almost no air resistance, as the university announced on Friday.
"It helps me to get the last percentages out of my training," said Kambundji in a video published by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich).
The Airshield is a windshield on wheels made of Plexiglas. It is pulled in front of the runners in a go-kart. The go-kart is controlled by a driver, but the speed is automatically regulated by special sensors.
Professor Melanie Zeilinger, who was involved in the development of the airshield, explained in the video that a new type of overspeed training could be carried out.
According to the university, this allows athletes to reach competition speeds during training that are otherwise only possible due to an increased adrenaline level. "This is extremely beneficial for us athletes. It can also take Swiss athletics as a whole a step forward," said ETH student and athlete Géraldine Frey with conviction.
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