As most of you know, the Games of the 20th Winter Olympiad begin tomorrow in Torino, Italy. While the Olympics are viewed as the ultimate in human competition, just as often cutting edge technology plays an enormous roll in determining who is "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (faster, higher, stronger).
Through the course of the Games, we'll spend some time looking at how technology has helped to shape the Games from the performance apparel and performance equipment used, to the physics of performance, the logistics of worldwide communication and the advanced security that is in place to protect the athletes and spectators.
Today, we'll start with the enduring symbol of the Olympics: The Torch. WeldingDesign.com has an interesting article on the gas technology behind the torch that will light the Olympic flame. Howstuffworks.com provides very detailed coverage of the construction of the Torch, looking at the designs from Atlanta (Summer 1996), Sydney (Summer 2000) and the one for Torino. Finally, a little bit about coordinating design and implementation: apparently some athletes who carried the Torch felt that it was too heavy.
The torch is 2 kilos!
