(a) Simulations for the optimal pumping motion of a skateboarder on a halfpipe. (b) Height and acceleration for different pumping strategies. Image credit: Physical verification research (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.6.033132
A team of engineers and mathematicians from ETH Zurich, in collaboration with colleagues from the Institute of Statistical Mathematics and the ATR Institute International (both in Japan), have succeeded in modeling the physical processes that occur when people pump on skateboards to get air while skating in a halfpipe.
In her article published in the journal Physical verification researchThe group describes how they used a person swinging on a swing as an analogue to create their model and how well it represented people in action on a halfpipe.
A skate halfpipe is a structure, usually made of wood or cement, that resembles a pipe cut in half horizontally. The result is a valley shape with equal-sized mountains on either side. Skaters climb the structure on one side or the other, using it as a starting point for their skating moves.
The simplest move is to roll down one side of the pipe, across the valley floor, and then back up the other side. At this point, the skater has the option of jumping to the other side or turning around and rolling back down. If they keep choosing the second option, the skater must do something to keep moving.
Such actions are called pumps – they involve the skater manipulating their body to propel the skateboard forward faster. They involve ducking into the dip and then pushing up when they reach the curve of the ramp – a movement similar to that used by children to keep a swing moving. If the skater gets fast enough, they can become airborne after rolling up the opposite side of the tube.
The team realized that physical models of swings and pendulums already existed, so they started with those. They then studied videos of skateboarders in action and used what they saw to add factors unique to a skateboarder on a halfpipe, such as how he or she modulates his or her mass in relation to the surface below, including the angle of the board relative to the pipe as they try to pick up speed.
After building the model, they used it to find the optimal pumping technique. However, they found that this wouldn’t work in the real world, as it would eject the skater from the tube. The team concludes that their model could likely serve as a tool to teach robots to maintain balance when traversing hilly terrain.
Further information:
Florian Kogelbauer et al, Mechanical optimization of skateboard pumping, Physical verification research (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.6.033132
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Quote: Researchers model physics of pumping technique used to generate air on skateboard halfpipe (August 28, 2024), accessed August 28, 2024, from https://phys.org/news/2024-08-physics-technique-air-skateboard-pipe.html
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