Assistive Technologies Used In Paralympics

Prepared By:

Arish Khan
Aditya Vimal
Kuldeep Mal
Motivation:

In order to get to know the deep insights about challenges faced and how technologies
decreased the struggles of participants.

Summary:

Assistive Technology or technical assistance: products, equipment, devices, resources,

methodologies, strategies, practices, and services that aim to promote functionality, related to
the activity and participation of people with disabilities or reduced mobility, aiming at their
autonomy, independence, quality of life and social inclusion

We chose Para-Badminton as our sport and collected all the information regarding the sport and
how prosthetics and wheelchairs are used by the participants. The history of prosthetics and
wheelchairs is discussed. Towards the end, we see market analysis and a list of some big
manufacturers in this field.

Introduction
Para-Badminton has a very short history as compared to other para-sports. Its first
international tournament took place in the Netherlands in 1988 but it was made a part of
the Paralympics only in Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games.

Para-Badminton players can be classified into six classes based on the type of
disability:

● WH1:Players who have impairment in both lower limbs and trunk function and
require a wheelchair to play are admitted in this class.
● WH2: layers who have impairment in one or both lower limbs and minimum or no
impairment in the trunk and require a wheelchair to play are admitted in this
class.
● SL3: Players who have impairment in one or both lower limbs and poor
running/walking balance and must play standing are admitted in this class.
 ● SL4: Players who have impairment in one or both lower limbs and minimum
impairment in running/walking balance and must play standing are admitted in
this class.
● SU5: Players in this class have impairment in the upper limbs.
● SS6: Players belonging to this class have short stature.

Equipment in para-badminton

The conditions of this sport are such that the specially-abled sportsperson requires
specially designed equipment and some additional equipment. The development of new
technologies allows people with locomotory disabilities to participate in sports
competitions in disciplines that were previously not suitable for them physically.
Enhanced equipment helps in the achievement of a higher level of the sport. it also
helps to increase safety standards and the convenience of players.

Additional equipment required for specially-abled players in para-badminton are:

1. Sports wheelchairs: it is one of the most important tools in para-badminton.

ordinary wheelchairs are modified to meet the specific need of sports players,
especially keeping safety and stability in mind. the material used in the
manufacturing of the frames are steel, aluminum, carbon, titanium, etc. steel is
the most used material.
2. Crutches: their primary function is to help in maintaining a balance and also
while holding a standing position. they are mainly made of carbon fiber rods. their
exact design depends on the individual requirements of players.
3. Stabilizing bands: it is an important piece of equipment used in a wheelchair. it
helps in securing and immobilizing the player's feet, thighs and torso from sliding
down the wheelchair.
4. Limb prostheses: Latest technological developments have helped us to create
better options in sports prosthetics. They are made of materials like carbon fiber
and are matched to a specific person so that movement possibilities of the
players can be increased to the maximum possible movements. High-quality
equipment is linked with a high price.
 5. Racket: the Handle of the racket is specially designed to meet the requirement
and comfort of the player. their frame is made of strong, durable, and lightweight
materials like either alloy of steel, titanium aluminum, etc.
6. Gloves: They are used to prevent painful corns and abrasions. also, the fingers
of the players are not covered to allow an efficient grip and control over the
racket.

Prosthetics

History of prosthetics in sports:

The first prosthesis unearthed was a large toe supposed to belong to a high-status female in
ancient Egypt almost 3,000 years ago. Prosthetic devices entered the realm of recreational
athletics in 1888 when the Berlin Deaf Gymnastic Association was created. Finally, in 1960, the
first "parallel Olympics," or Paralympics, were staged in Rome.

Types of prosthetics used in Tokyo Paralympics

1. 1E91 Runner: The specially constructed 1E91 runner is one of the most popular
prosthetic limbs utilized at big athletic events. This is distinct mostly due to its design and
distinct aesthetic. It is not fashioned like a normal foot and curves to the bottom to allow
runners to generate their run using their upper limbs.
 2. Pro Carve Sport Prothesis: This can be used for sports that do not require too much
foot movement. Skiing is one sport that sees the use of this prosthetics leg that is used
by athletes who have amputations either above or below the knee.
3. 3S80 Sports Joint: This is another common prosthetic used by sprinters or athletes at
the Paralympics. The upper leg fits into the big gap, and the lower carbon spring foot
contributes to the 1E91 runner's performance. It is stiffened to meet the needs of the
runner, and the knee joint is specifically designed to withstand pressure. This prosthetic
limb comes in a variety of styles because it is one of the best on the market for sports
and runners.
4. Flex-Foot Cheetah: Oscar Pistorius has used these blades in the majority of the events
in which he has competed. The blades are connected to sockets in which athletes have
positioned their upper limbs. The upper body is meant to propel the athlete forward, and
the carbon fiber blades aid in providing the necessary spring. There has been a lot of
backlash over this, with other competitors accusing Oscar Pistorious of having an unfair
edge because of his artificial legs.

Materials used in the making of prosthetics

● Metals

Prosthetic limbs are made from a range of metals, including aluminum, titanium, magnesium,
copper, steel, and many more. They are employed in varying amounts and for a variety of
applications, whether pure or alloyed. Copper, iron, aluminum, and nickel were all employed for
weight-bearing structures in the past, but are now mostly used as alloys or for plating.

● Polymers

Polymers are rarely employed as the primary load-bearing construction for limbs. They are more
prevalent in phalanges, joints, and other minor body components. Polymers are more commonly
used in limb prostheses for smaller components or specialized features.

Polyoxymethylene (POM), a hard polymer, is commonly employed, as is flexible polyurethane

(PU), a much softer polymer, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is utilized as a coating.

Polyethylene is a more flexible type of plastic that is best used in bigger numbers when the
prosthetic must be watertight.

● Carbon fibers
Carbon fibers were first used in the twentieth century by physicians and engineers looking for a
lighter load-bearing material. Carbon fiber features include high stiffness, high tensile strength,
low weight, strong chemical resistance, high-temperature tolerance, and low thermal expansion,
as well as high specific strength and specific modulus. It was determined that it could support
even a large-weight amputee. High elastic modulus materials are typically not ductile: the
specific modulus of wood is equal to that of steel, magnesium, titanium, or aluminum, whereas
that of carbon fiber reinforced composites is almost three times as high. Reinforced carbon fiber
composites have extremely high specific tensile and compressive strengths, as well as the very
sensitive elastic deformation

Problems the athletes face with prosthetics

Most of the reported issues faced by prosthetics users are heat-related issues.

International sporting events, including the Paralympic Games, are increasingly being held in
hot and/or humid weather. As a result, a greater emphasis is being placed on preparing athletes
for potentially adverse environmental conditions in host cities, such as the 2020 Olympics in
Tokyo.

A number of elements in Paralympic sports may contribute to an athlete's susceptibility to

heightened thermal strain when participating in difficult weather circumstances. These include
not only the sport's features (type, intensity, length, modality, and environmental conditions),
fitness, and physical attributes of the athlete (e.g., body composition), but also the complexity of
the athlete's disability and classification. It is a relief that Para-badminton being a less active
sport doesn’t have much impact on heat-related issues. But still some recommendations are
given considering the safety and efficiency of the players:

● Cooling strategies and fluid practices

Choosing the best cooling strategy for an individual or team of athletes will be influenced by
factors such as the athlete's needs and impairment, as well as the sport itself, such as
environmental conditions, access to freezers or baths, logistics, cost, and unclothed body
surface area to cool for external cooling. Cooling should be delivered as near to the start of the
competition as possible while avoiding cooling active body parts. Cooling the hands before the
competition, for example, would be improper for wheelchair-bound para-badminton players.

Some more general recommendations:

● Support staff should take a personalized approach to refine an athlete's cooling plan based on
the athlete's needs and the sporting demands.

● Practice any methods used prior to competition, ideally imitating as nearly as possible the
"real-world" sporting setting.

● Athletes that compete outdoors should consider an acclimatization plan. Even athletes with
SCI may be able to achieve partial acclimatization.

● Awareness of suppressed appetite in hot weather and during long-distance travel should be
recognized, and nutritional strategies should be adjusted accordingly.

● Wearable technology could be useful during training to help athletes develop a personalized
strategy for competing in the heat. The wearable's value must outweigh any potential increase
in heat strain from an additional clothing layer and be appropriate for the specific athlete.

● Specific sports may necessitate the addition of additional water and first-aid stations

Market Analysis Prosthetic Industry

The global prosthetics and orthotics market size was valued at USD 6.11 billion in 2020
and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.2% from 2021
to 2028. Increasing cases of sports injuries and road accidents, the rising number of
diabetes-related amputations, and the growing prevalence of osteosarcoma around the
world are poised to drive the global market.
Orthotics Vs Prosthetics

The orthotics segment is segmented into lower limb, upper limb, and spinal orthotics and
comprises upper extremity and lower extremity prosthetics, liners, sockets, and modular
components.

Demand for orthopedic prosthetics is currently based on the increasing incidence of accidental
injuries and amputations in line with the introduction of customized implant products.
Electric-powered prosthetics continue to witness innovations and investments as compared to
their conventional and hybrid counterparts.

Orthopedic prosthetics worth around US$ 855 Mn implanted on patients across the globe in
2018 were electrically powered, and the number is set to increase over the next decade. While
better functional outcome continues to influence the demand for hybrid orthopedic prosthetics,
conventional variants will lose their revenue share in the near future.

However, the rising demand by the governments to reduce spending on healthcare is expected
to hamper the growth of the market. Moreover, advancements in robotics technology and
improvements across the medical industry are anticipated to boost the market growth.

Top global manufacturers of prosthetics

● Blatchford, Inc.
● Fillauer LLC
● The Ohio Willow Wood Company
● Ossur
● Steeper Group
● Ottobock Healthcare GmbH
● Ultraflex Systems, Inc.

Wheelchair
Para-Badminton and Wheelchairs
The key problems in the wheelchair sports class are the use of the arms for both movement and
hitting skills. In the same way, as players in standing badminton employ long and short, slow
and rapid leg movements as well as diverse tactics for stopping and recovering, wheelchair
athletes must deliver long and short, fast and slow pulls and pushes as well as stopping and
recovering techniques. The main thing to remember is the court dimensions and adapting
accordingly on a wheelchair. The development of Wheelchairs for para-badminton came pretty
much completely from wheelchair tennis as both sports shared almost the same features.

Wheelchair for para-badminton follows these rules:

1. An elastic belt around the waist, across the thighs, or both can be used to secure a
player's body to the wheelchair.
2. The player's feet must be secured to the wheelchair's footrest.
3. The wheelchair seat can be horizontal or tilted backward, including any padding. It is not
possible to tilt it forward.
4. A wheelchair with a rear supporting wheel that extends beyond the primary wheels may
be available.
5. There must be no electricity or other equipment in the wheelchair to aid with movement
or steering.
 Fig: A Parabadminton wheelchair

Wheelchair: Material, development & Advancements

Wheelchairs in general – one of the most essential factors to consider is the materials utilized.
Choosing the right materials for a product is critical in any design job. This may influence
anything from the product's 'feel' and end-user experience to production costs and
manufacturing specifications. New materials have been developed in the past to change
different features of the wheelchair, but when it comes to sports wheelchairs, two factors are
paramount: weight and durability/rigidity.

The weight difference is self-evident: some metals are heavier than others.

As a result, lighter materials must be identified in order to increase performance in sporting

wheelchairs. Sports played as part of rehabilitation programs at institutions like Stoke
Mandeville used conventional clinical wheelchairs at the time - there was no such thing as a
sports wheelchair. The Travaux wheelchair was a literal armchair, and the Everest and Jennings
folding wheelchairs were almost entirely built of tubular steel. As a result, these wheelchairs
were hefty, weighing between 30 and 40 pounds, making fast-paced sports more difficult to use.
However, these wheelchairs were vastly improved over pre-1930s technology, which frequently
weighed between 70 and 110 pounds, and additional refining was required to arrive at the
ultra-lightweight wheelchairs used today.

Many people have recognized the importance of wheelchair sports in the development of
ultra-lightweight wheelchairs, owing to the work of users who adapted their own equipment as
manufacturers gave more weight to rehabilitation and medical professionals than to those who
actually use the wheelchairs.

To assist reduce weight, new metals were introduced. Bud Rumple and Joseph Jones, for
example, experimented with aluminum in the early 1960s when they produced a rigid box frame
that decreased weight by ten pounds. By the 1990s, aluminum was one of two common
materials in sports chairs, notably racing wheelchairs; the other being Chromoly steel, a
chrome-steel alloy that is lighter and stronger than carbon steel and has similar benefits to
aluminum. Due to its lightweight characteristics and inexpensive cost, aluminum has remained a
common material to this day.

Despite the fact that titanium is somewhat heavier than aluminum, it was also utilized because it
is stronger in fewer quantities, making it incredibly light overall. This was tried in the 1990s when
Bob Hall collaborated with bike maker Merlin Metalworks to build a titanium racing chair that
weighed just 12 pounds. Wheelchair manufacturers were also inspired by other sectors, such as
bicycle engineering, and used comparable materials, such as Reynolds 531 tubing, a
lightweight steel alloy that was a cycling industry standard for decades.
Carbon fiber has become more popular as a result of technological developments. This can be
excessively expensive, but it reduces the weight of a chair considerably, which is ideal for
maximizing improvements at the highest level.

Durability and stiffness are also important for maintaining the chair's shape and preventing
harm to the athlete as well as equipment failure. After all, it doesn't matter how light a chair is if
it falls apart easily.

New materials are important in this case because, whereas steel used in prior medicalized
wheelchairs was strong, materials like aluminum and titanium maintain that strength while being
much lighter. However, this had a lot to do with the shape and form of new chair designs, such
as Rumple and Jones' aluminum box frame.

The history of sports wheelchair materials reflects the sport's progression from a rehabilitative
tool to a user-driven enterprise, and finally to a highly competitive and technologically advanced
sport. While the materials used are not the only essential component in better wheelchair design
and development, they are a vital part of the sports wheelchair's history.

Problems Faced by Athletes using Wheelchairs:

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is the most prevalent cause of impairment among wheelchair athletics.

For these athletes, unpleasant stimuli such as a full bladder, fecal mass, or contact with sharp
objects can trigger an uncontrollable nerve reaction that manifests as a headache, elevated
blood pressure, flushing, excessive perspiration, and accelerated heart rates. Because of the
paralysis of skeletal muscle and the associated lack of feeling, athletes with SCI typically have
difficulties controlling body temperature during training or competition in both warm and cold
situations.

Hypothermia is exacerbated by a diminished ability to generate body heat through shivering

owing to loss of skeletal muscle mass and activity, whereas hyperthermia is exacerbated by
impaired perspiration and blood flow management in the lower legs.

Pressure sores, which frequently occur at the rear of the pelvis, can be a major issue for
wheelchair athletes. They develop as a result of prolonged pressure on the skin, which causes
the skin's integrity to be compromised. The use of sports wheelchairs with knees higher than the
buttocks increases the risk even more. The most frequent musculoskeletal problems suffered by
wheelchair athletes are upper extremity injuries. For wheelchair propulsion and transfer, the
shoulders tend to serve as weight-bearing joints, increasing the risk of overuse injuries.
Weight changes to relieve pressure, cushioning, and electrical stimulation to improve blood flow
are all important aspects of vigilant skincare.
Market Analysis of Wheelchair Industry

The global wheelchair market size was valued at USD 2.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to
expand at a CAGR of 8.0% from 2021 to 2028. The rising population of geriatrics and the rise in
a number of disorders such as spinal cord injuries requiring mobility assistance are some of the
key factors driving the market.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 15.0% (or 1 billion)
population is suffering from some form of disability that requires mobility aids. Furthermore,
growing chronic disorders as compared to other diseases are majorly increasing disability,
creating demand for wheelchairs.

Developing countries such as India are expected to be key revenue generators for wheelchair
manufacturers over the forecast period. The country has one of the highest rates of road
accidents at a global level, leaving several people disabled. It also has one of the highest
disabled populations at a global level.
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