Usain Bolt's False Start

I'm thinking a steel plate in each runner's shoe would be held in the starting blocks by an electromagnet, until the flag falls. Then the runner couldn't jump the start.
Sounds like a great way to injure the runners to me.
Del

Not enough holding force to injure someone. Just enough so that a false start is obvious.

Like a strong refrigerator magnet type force.

Oh, never mind. I'm watching them cut a near net shape "medieval" sword blank on a CNC machining center now anyway.

So, this sword... it hangs over the runners head right? And if he jumps the gun...
Del

How about adapting photo finish technique to photo start?

Honestly, I don't know how false starts are called.

But, the point is to speed things up.

I thought speeding things up is what started this whole discussion?

Instant read?

you mean like the HotWheels circuit recently debuted?

Put a strain gauge on his calf.

On the collegiate and international level (and usually at the High School State Meets), there are sensors located within the starting block foot pads that trigger a false start when pressure is nonexistent if a jump start occurs before the starting gun goes off. Everything is done by very precise pressure and sound sensors, and digital electronics, including the electronic stopwatch.

The reason I know is through past experience: Back in my high school days (mid 70's) I was a sprinter with no less than 5 NYS Section 2 championship wins to my credit and won a full track scholarship to Syracuse U. to study Architecture (but I didn't attend there, and instead joined the Army).....my 100-yard dash best was 9.7 seconds and my 220 yard dash was 21.4 seconds for outdoor track......5.4 seconds for the 50-yard dash and 6.34 seconds in the 60 yard dash for indoor track.... and I was on several on several relay teams (440 and 880 yard outdoor) that set several sectional and high school records. I have several state meet medals as well as two medals from the Penn Relays. Not all that bad for a 5'-7" tall 135# weakling with pale skin! LOL

Better watch out--we'll start calling you Speedy Gonzalez!

Ahhh, but I can't even speak Mexican........what is a poor rodent to do???!!! LOL

Arreeebbbbaaa arrreeebbbbbaaaa aaaareeeebbbbaaaa!!!!

I read 9.7 and thought "no way".... but it was 100 yards not meters...still a great time for high school. 0.1 faster than the 1890 world record!

Thanks....I worked hard to get that time. I did it twice in my Senior year in HS; the first time for the State Qualifying Meet and again a week later at the States.......oh so very close to getting 9.6 seconds. Sorry to say I was the only white guy in the final 100-yard dash. I have short legs and am stocky. Everyone else had long sprinters legs and at the end could fly by me very fast.....I could usually blow-off everyone at the start because I had a tremendously powerful and explosive start and could typically have a 10 foot head start on the other runners as they were leaving the blocks. Even in 9th Grade I was on the Varsity Indoor and Outdoor Track Teams and was capable of doing the 60-yd Indoor in 6.4 seconds and the Outdoor 100-yd in 10.0 seconds. I was the first Freshman ever in our HS history to be on the Varsity team.....even dropped playing football in my Junior year for fear of getting squashed and severely injured (I was on special teams, was a Slot-back, and did punt return), so I could concentrate on my running. Running fast must run in my family as my kid brother was a sprinter too and jointed our 880-yd relay team along with two of my fellow sprinter buddies.....to this day we still hold the NYS Section 2 (Capital District region) record for the 880-yd relay at 1 minute 30.3 seconds. Unfortunately, they switched from the Imperial measurement system to the Metric somewhere for field and track somewhere around the mid-1980's,. Oh well, I'm a "relic" now! LOL

Thanks. I've wondered about that.

why not use these for human size?

Maybe the best way is to subtract the end time - start time for each runner and then identify the winner.. ofcourse all runners will have to start within a span of 2 secs etc..

"why is there no starting "gate"?"

There's no starting gate because they haven't installed the mechanical rabbit yet. They're working on it.