Evan Lambert works on a modified para ice hockey sledge design. (Supplied)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

ADDRESSING EQUIPMENT SHORTAGE

Red Deer Polytechnic working to innovate parasport equipment

Mar 13, 2025 | 10:11 AM

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) is collaborating with the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary (CSIC) and Bowhead Corp. to innovate parasport equipment used by para-athletes thanks to grants and funding.

The project, titled “Increasing Accessibility to Specialized Parasport Equipment Across Canada Through Advanced Design and Manufacturing,” is valued at $860,000.

The funding is being supported by an Applied Research and Development grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ($450,000) and a Campus Alberta Small Business Engagement Grant from Alberta Innovates ($300,000). Additionally, CSIC has contributed $110,000 toward the project.

RDP says the funds will be distributed over three years.

“We are grateful for these investments which help integrate sports, multi-disciplinary applied research and advanced manufacturing to develop customized parasport equipment and reduce barriers for Canadian athletes,” comments Dr. Tonya Wolfe, Associate Vice-President, Applied Research, Red Deer Polytechnic. “This is an exciting project and is one example of how RDP’s multi-disciplinary approach in applied research, along with enhanced partnerships, help to address the needs of people, industry and communities across Canada.”

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RDP staff and the institution’s Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing-Technology Access Centre (CIM-TAC) will work to create inclusive and cost-effective designs intended to address a national shortage of tailored equipment for para-athletes. The CIM-TAC houses $7.6 million in specialized equipment, making it a hub of the Alberta innovation community that focuses on product development and improvement, the Institution says.

The project has initially been focusing on para ice hockey by leveraging Statistical Shape Modelling (SSM), a tool to analyze images, helping to create affordable and customizable sledges. RDP says eventually, this innovation will expand to other sports, where they will continue to evaluate a variety of factors like pressure distribution, range of motion and speed.

Five RDP students have been hired to work on the project during the summer this year, complementing their classroom learning and giving them hands-on experience before entering the labour force.

RDP staff will share their expertise and experience from the project with global experts at the SPort INnovation (SPIN) Summit taking place March 31 to April 1 in Calgary. While there, CIM-TAC Engineering Technical Lead Jennifer Dornstauder and Prateeksha Aggarwal, a CIM-TAC industrial research associate, will present “Adaptive Design in Paralympic Sport.”