Electric Skis Hit the Slopes in Nagano Olympic Games.IIZUNA KOGEN, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 1998--Electronic skis made their Olympic debut last month in the men's freestyle mogul competition. A revolutionary piezoelectric The property of certain crystals that causes them to produce voltage when a mechanical pressure is applied to them such as sound vibrations. This technique is used to build crystal microphones, phonograph cartridges and strain gauges, all of which turn mechanical movement into voltage. vibration control module manufactured by Active Control eXperts (ACX ACX Available Chemicals Exchange ACX Advanced Combat Experimental ACX Asynchronous Cross Connect ), Inc. of Cambridge, MA, allows skiers to achieve a much smoother and faster ride by maintaining edge contact with the snow. Developed in conjunction with K2, ACX's Piezo "Piezo", derived from the Greek piezein, which means to squeeze or press, is a prefix used in:
The mogul competition is the most punishing of all Olympic ski events, requiring the skier to bash through bruising moguls at top speed under precise control. The slightest unwanted loss of edge contact due to vibration can mean the difference between winners and losers. "Just ask Donna Weinbrecht Donna Weinbrecht won the first gold medal awarded in the first Olympic mogul competitions in freestyle skiing, which were held at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Weinbrecht grew up in West Milford, New Jersey. ," said Adam Bogue, ACX's VP of Marketing. "She entered the final in second place, but just seconds from the finish, she lost an edge and faltered slightly, dropping her to fourth and out of medal contention." Weinbrecht does not use K2 skis. "Perhaps now she will," added Bogue. One champion who does use K2 skis is Jonny Moseley Jonny Moseley (born August 27, 1975) is the first Puerto Rican to become a member of the U.S. Ski Team. Early years Moseley was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1978, he saw snow for the first time when his family went on a trip to California. , who won the first gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize of the Games for the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in the men's freestyle moguls. Moseley skied on a custom version of the K2 Winter Heat skis, which allowed him to ski a flawless run through the bumps, and post the fastest time and best scores for jumps and turns. The highlight of the run was Moseley's 360 Mute Grab maneuver, where he did a full "helicopter" rotation and grabbed his inside ski while in midair. Moseley said "I ski on K2 skis, solely, and I always will." And according to K2, "Moseley, takes full advantage of... Smart Ski(TM) Technology." Before his Olympic triumph, Moseley, 22, of Tiburon, CA, won 12 World Cup medals (including three golds this season) and two overall World Cup championships. ACX's revolutionary piezo vibration control technology is also available on the recently-introduced K2 Electra-series snowboard. The K2 Four -- the #1 selling ski in America -- also uses the same ACX technology. The technology has won numerous awards, including the prestigious "Best of What's New" award from Popular Science and Snow Country magazine's "Innovation of the Year" award. Piezoceramic dampers work by converting mechanical vibration energy into electrical energy. This energy is then applied across a "shunt To divert, switch or bypass. " circuit, which dissipates the energy as heat, removing the energy from the board and reducing vibration. "There's even a little LED on the device that lights when the ski is vibrating vibrating, v using quivering hand motions made across the client's body for therapeutic purposes. , so you know it's working," said Bogue. ACX's President & CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , Kenneth B. Lazarus, Ph.D., reflected, "We're thrilled to have played a part in the Olympics and to showcase our technology to the world. The durability of ACX's piezo technology could not have faced a more difficult test. But if it stood up this well to Olympic-level competition, just think of the possibilities in other high-volume commercial markets." -0- Active Control eXperts, Inc., is a leading supplier of smart material and active control components and systems, including piezoelectric actuators, sensors, vibration suppression, and motion control systems. For additional information, contact Adam Bogue, Vice President of Marketing, at 617-577-0700. http://www.acx.com. CONTACT: Active Control eXperts, Inc. Adam Bogue, 617/577-0700 http://www.acx.com |
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