Project Overview

The knee joint is the most common injury location for alpine skiers and accounts for over one third of all injuries, both competitively and recreationally. Current mechanical bindings are very rigid, in that, a rough release threshold is set before hand and only prevents a limited range of injuries. To prevent a wider range of injuries, electronic bindings, are being designed with force sensing technology to get a more accurate measurement of the force being induced on the foot. However, measuring only the force is an oversimplification that results in a large degree of estimation. To better identify appropriate release situations, we propose an active monitoring system that compares the orientation data of both boots, and identifies a dangerous situation. This output eventually could be used to actively change the release threshold of the binding based on the orientation of the two skis.
New advances in electronic bindings seek to account for multidirectional forces in the boot by employing dynamometers. Alpine Ski industry leader, Marker Skis, has also developed an electronic binding prototype that integrates the force on a skier foot over time to give a better metric for release. However, even with these improvements in safety, there still has not been a large transition from skiers riding mechanical bindings to skiers riding on a safer electronic version. This is in part due to the expense and reliability of these new electronic bindings. However, if the bindings could offer an even greater improvement in safety, then perhaps more interest in electronic bindings would develop. Specifically, if a binding could determine the ski’s orientation relative to one another, it could then identify when the skier is in a compromised position. This data could then be used to release the skier based on position alone, or in combination with force and acceleration data in which the release threshold could vary depending on skier position. This could prevent many injuries in which the force is strong enough to tear a skier’s ACL due to a compromised position, but not strong enough to cause the binding to release at its preset threshold. Communication between the two bindings would also allow for simultaneous release, as one binding can check the status of the other and release if its partner is no longer attached. Our design attempts to record and process this positional data into a useable form that could be integrated with other data. It is hoped that a dramatic increase in useable information will allow the binding to better identify appropriate release situations, saving skiers from unnecessary injuries.

Team Picture

Contact Information

Team Members

• Charles Rodenkirch - Team Leader
• Derek Pitts - Communicator
• Robert Carson - BSAC & BPAG
• Gustavo Vargas - BWIG

Advisor and Client

• Prof. Amit Nimunkar - Advisor
• Prof. Darryl Thelen - Client
• Charles Rodenkirch - Alternate Contact

Related Projects

• Spring 2014: Wireless Motion Capture System for Alpine Skiers
• Fall 2013: Electronically monitored release system for alpine skiers