An innovative sled should ensure more safety in bobsleigh sports in the future.
As the Bobsleigh and Sled Association for Germany (BSD) announced, a “safety sled” equipped with “state-of-the-art technology” will be used for the first time at the upcoming home World Cup in Winterberg (January 4th and 5th) and will provide “distance data for the pilots and for the development of new security solutions.
The data, which is collected using “state-of-the-art sensors and an on-board camera” and distributed among the pilots of all associations, is intended to help create a “comprehensive analysis of the ice rink conditions” and thus minimize risks. They offer “valuable insights into the route conditions and, for example, show critical areas,” according to the BSD statement. In a further step next year, the focus will be on protecting the bobsleigh passengers.
Always questions about safety
Safety issues are constantly discussed in bobsledding. Last season, the debate picked up speed again after the serious fall of the Swiss bobsleigh pilot Michael Vogt in Altenberg. Pusher Sandro Michel was thrown from the sleigh in the accident and was seriously injured by the bobsleigh, which weighed over 200 kilograms, as it slid back.