Discussions on destructive innovation and brushes are hot in curling

A brush with too easy stone control appears.

Technology has a huge impact on sports, but sometimes rapid evolution can improve the performance of the players too much.For example, swimming is prohibited from a swimwear "laser racer" that covers the whole body, and high -rebound drivers are prohibited in golf.And in the curling world, such a problem is happening.The center of the discussion is a new type of brush that rubs on ice, and its name is "ICEPAD".

However, curling players, who are involved, are not repelling new technologies.However, they are concerned that ICEPAD and similar high -tech equipment may be too easy to compete and change curling.The World Curling Federation has been temporarily banned from ICEPAD in the 2015/2016 season, but is currently looking for new rules.

The curling competition is very simple.When one of the four teams slides a heavy stone on the ice, the other two try to "swoop" the ice in the direction of the stone and try to approach the stone as a circular goal.

Basically, the longer you do this sweep, the longer the stone goes straight.But stones don't just move straight.Therefore, the remaining one in the team plays the role of "skip", which instructs the swoop adjustment while watching the stone slipping.

So the impact of the new brush is related to physical problems, inertia, propulsion, and friction.And in curling, the point is that the surface of the ice is not slippery, but rather a rough state called "Pebble".Scientific American has:

ストーンが投げられてある程度の推進力を得ると、かなり長く滑り続けて、その後摩擦が大きくなって停止する。摩擦をより良くコントロールできれば、ストーンの曲がり方もうまくコントロールでき、ねらった場所に位置づけられる。氷も特殊なもので、表面に水滴を吹き付けたうえで凍らされているためペブルができ、摩擦が小さくなっている。またストーンは、底面の｢ランニング・バンド｣だけが、氷の表面に触れている。つまりストーンの重さは、通常の滑らかな氷の上よりはるかに小さな面積に集中している。

By rubbing with a brush, the friction is even less, the ice melts for a moment and freezes again.If you do not rub with a brush, the stone will bend larger.The purpose of the sweep is to slide the stone straight and longer, and change the degree of sweep depending on how far the stone wants to move.

Why is ICEPAD a problem in this?As shown above, curling stones move on a rough ice.The tip of the conventional brush has animal hair or nylon pads, so when you rub the ice, the friction increases, which is a big friction, including the part other than the surface of the ice, and the friction increases.The burden was also increasing.However, according to the website of Hardline Curling, a manufacturer of ICEPAD, ICEPAD seems to "stop friction only on the surface of the peble in contact with the ice, and there is almost no resistance."

In other words, for sweps, it is easier to control stones as ever.Many players say they can control too much.In the curling world, the most important thing in individual shots is the person who throws stones, not a sweaper.

"The use of it (ICEPAD) loses a lot of skills in the pitcher, and the skills have been required for sweeps and skip," said former Olympic Gold Medalist Brad Gushue.increase."If you're a top player, the control is too easy and it's hard to miss a delicate shot," said another gold medalist, Ben Hebert, said at Ottawa Citizen."If you throw a stone, I want you to decide a shot, and those who do not throw stones are not qualified to decide the shot."

So, the World Curling Federation recently opened the "Swaping Summit", and 11 top curling players and researchers from Canada national research institutions brought in here.Using a robot that throws laser and stones, more than 50 curling brushes were tested.The data is currently being analyzed, and the regulations will be examined based on the results, and will be voted in September this year.

I couldn't imagine that such innovation was happening in that brush, but I hope that the players will be discussed properly so that they can play happily in the future.

Image by Paolo Bona/ShutterStock

Source: Mental Floss

Jennifer Ouellette -Gizmodo US [Original]

(MIHO)