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SALOMON x NASA
NANO-GLIDE SKI
FALL 2022 COLLABORATIVE DESIGN SPRINT
OVERSEEN BY DR. JULIE LAMARRA IN CONJUNCTION WITH EXECUTIVES FROM SALOMON, NASA, AND UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
DESIGN PROMPT: RESEARCH AND DESIGN AN OUTDOOR PRODUCT FOR ANY CATEGORY WITHIN THE SALOMON INVENTORY USING ONE OR MORE OF NASA'S PATENT MATERIALS.
TOMORROW IS YOURS
IN 2022, SALOMON UNVEILED A NEW BRAND SIGNATURE WITH THE SLOGAN "TOMORROW IS YOURS." THE NEW CAMPAIGN IS BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT BY TAPPING INTO THE INVENTOR THAT LIVES WITHIN ALL OF US, AND BY DARING TO REACH OUR FULL POTENTIAL, EACH OF US CAN PLAY A ROLE IN SHAPING THE FUTURE WE IMAGINE.
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THIS IS THE ATTITUDE WE WISHED TO IMPLEMENT INTO OUR PRODUCT.
*Property of Salomon
THE PRODUCT
DOWNHILL SALOMON RESORT SKIS
THE PROBLEM:
THE MAIN WAY THAT SKIIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS INCREASE PERFORMANCE ON THE SLOPES IS TO APPLY WAXES OR FINISHES TO THE SURFACE OF THE BOARD. HOWEVER, TRADITIONAL WAXES AND FINISHES CAN'T PROVIDE OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE AND ISN'T SUSTAINABLE.
THE SOLUTION:
DESIGN A SUPERHYDROPHOBIC SKI THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE THE USE OF WAXES OR OTHER ADDITIVES THAT FITS WITHIN THE SALOMON LINE.
THE PLAN
INCORPORATE NASA PATENTED MANUFACTURING PROCESSES KNOWN AS LASER-ABLATIVE SURFACE PATTERNING AS A POST PROCESSING FINISH; THEREBY ACHIEVING SUPERHYDROPHOBICITY AND IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY.
15 percent
of skiers and snowboarders don't wax their gear
COMMON ADDITIVES FOR PERFORMANCE
TARGET
HOW IT WORKS
SKI WAX WORKS TO INCREASE THE HYDROPHOBICITY OF A SURFACE TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE BY REDUCING FRICTION AND DRAG.
WHY IT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED
WAXES NEED TO BE REAPPLIED FREQUENTLY AND CAN ONLY APPLY A CERTAIN LEVEL OF HYDROPHOBICITY TO A SURFACE.
WHAT IS SUPERHYDROPHOBICITY?
HYDROPHOBICITY, AND CONSEQUETIALLY SUBERHYDROPHOBICITY, REFER TO THE TEXTURE OF RIDGES OR PEAKS THAT IS APPLIED TO A SURFACE. THE SMALLER THE PEAKS, THE GREATER THE HYDROPHOBICITY.
THE TECHNOLOGY
This process, originally developed as a deep space dust mitigation solution, aims to achieve biomimicry of the lotus leaf. The resulting superhydrophobic surface has countless applications in the outdoor industry.
This unique manufacturing technology provides a fast, single-step process that promises to be scalable, requires no chemicals, has various material applications, and does not require a planar surface. The resulting surface would have a superhydrophobic finish with a static contact angle of up to 175 degrees.
LOOKING FORWARD
Recently, studies have been conducted to examine the effectivity of micro-textured surfaces in ski performance. These studies have provided promising data to support our hypothesis however, nano-textured surfaces have yet to be tested.
At this point in time, this product remains a proof of concept. Key factors that require more research would include the longevity of a surface such as this in order to accurately predict product viability.
Special thanks to Art Makes (NASA) and Scott Betty (Salomon) for allowing us this opportunity to work with such esteemed brands, to Dr. Julie Lamarra for her guidance, and my teammates Cory Holmstead and Sam Cole.
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