Ski maker K2 of Vashon, Washington, has created a radical ski that it contends performs well in all conditions. The development team decided to explore so-called smart materials technology, which can employ piezoelectric devices to detect a vibration and then act as actuators to oppose and cancel it out. Piezoelectric devices have the unique capacity to detect an induced physical deformation such as a shock or vibration and transform it directly into an electric charge. K2's engineering team installed a dampening unit containing three piezoelectric elements directly in front of the binding of the K2 Smart Ski where the largest vibrations occur. Experienced skiers know that the shape of a ski determines in large part how well it performs in different types of snow.
Wide skis ride better on deep, soft powder by spreading the skier's weight over a larger area.
Hourglass-shaped skis turn better on hard packed snow and ice because they concentrate more of the skier's weight on the blade edge at the middle of the ski, allowing it to dig deeper and make sharper cuts. Shorter skis make turning on any kind of snow easier because there is less ski to redirect. And longer skis provide greater stability, and therefore allow better control at higher speeds, because more of the ski is in contact with the snow at all times. Now ski manufacturer K2 of Vashon, Wash., has developed a radical ski that it claims performs well in all conditions. Because of the technology's promise, federal support for smart materials and adaptive structures is flourishing.