The Airshield, developed by researchers at ETH Zurich, is a very unusual training aid for runners. It's a Plexiglas screen attached to a go-cart equipped with LiDAR. As the runner sprints, a computer controls the go-cart's speed, keeping the runner just behind the Plexi bubble. (The driver of the go-cart only steers.)
The idea is that the Airshield removes air resistance, allowing the runner to engage in what the researchers call "overspeed training," which "enables athletes to reach competition speeds during training that are otherwise only possible with an increased adrenaline level."
The test athletes love the thing:
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Did you spot it in the video: Whoever designed the go-cart grew up watching "Knight Rider."
It would be fun if these were permitted at actual race events, with design variations allowed. It would be like a cross between track and BattleBots.
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