The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) mission is to lead and enable a united high performance (HP) system that supports Australian athletes/teams to achieve podium success.
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Engineering team supports the sports, athletes and coaches through the development and delivery of customised technology and equipment.
The devices and equipment that are produced do not exist commercially, and the development processes that are employed provide a personalised solution for each athlete.
The team engage athletes and coaches to understand the subject of their requirement. Athletes may need an entirely new piece of equipment, or they may need equipment modified or reproduced to facilitate superior performance. Strengthening the AIS Engineering team’s capability is a collaborative approach to project delivery through partnerships with Paralympics Australia and other relevant expertise. The result is an engineering service second to none in the high performance sport system.
Computer aided design is used for most projects, along with producing equipment using additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques.
Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson, Wheelchair Tennis
The AIS Applied Technology and Innovation team, Paralympics Australia and Toyota Australia (Olympic and Paralympic partner) were responsible for producing a custom-designed wheelchair for six-time tennis Grand Slam champion Dylan Alcott and his doubles partner Heath Davidson.
‘Quite early on we realised that the standard architecture of the wheelchair tennis chair that Dylan was using would not allow us to create a performance-based interface between the athlete and the frame’, said AIS Senior Sport Engineer Matt Crawford.
The project team was also working on how to minimise pressure injuries, which required them to use a pressure map to identify the main points of contact, similar to what is used in automotive and aircraft seating and the disability sector. Once the seat has been designed, the team used data, technology and engineering to fine tune the chair to maximise performance and comfort.
Madison de Rozario, wheelchair racing gloves
The gloves used in wheelchair racing can make a big difference for athletes. Getting custom-fitted gloves that deliver performance while protecting the hands has previously been a real challenge.
The AIS Applied Technology and Innovation team has been working with athletes to use 3D printing to deliver consistent, light-weight, reliable gloves.
Madison de Rozario is just one of these athletes who has been using these cutomised gloves at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and has won a bronze medal in the women’s 1500m T54, and gold in the 800m T53.
She had previously used gloves made with inconsistent moulds, and two sets were rarely the same. She said reliable custom-fitted gloves helped perfect her technique and get the most out of each push.
Using 3D printing technology, the AIS was able to make a CAD model of the glove and print new sets on demand. While 3D-printed gloves had been available overseas, these were not customised to the athlete’s hands.
AIS Senior Sport Engineer Matt Crawford said the technology had vastly improved the time it took to produce replacement gloves in emergencies, such as one time when Madi required a new set while competing overseas. The team could print a new set and have it delivered to her hotel waiting for her.
“The difference for me was immediate, you lose way less power in the push in the application phase,” Madi said.
Madison de Rozario during her gold medal winning performance in the women's 800m T53 event at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Photo: Paralympics Australia
Erik Horrie, Para-rowing
Ahead of the 2018 World Rowing Championships, the AIS was approached by the NSW Institute of Sport to develop a new seat design for para-athlete Erik Horrie. A project team was set-up to work on the design, including the AIS Applied Technology and Innovation team, Paralympics Australia and Toyota Australia (Olympic and Paralympic partner).
Para-rowing had four key parameters that were required to be met by the project team:
The final design was used by Erik in the 2018 World Rowing Championship, where he went on to win the PR1 Men’s Single Scull in the chair’s first competitive outing.