Dutch sports innovations in the spotlight The Sportinnovator programme stimulates innovation that is not only beneficial for elite athletes, grass roots sports, and for people who don’t exercise enough, but can also generate economic, societal, and sportive benefits. Take a look at a couple of these Dutch innovations. Steering assistance in handlebars prevents cyclist from falling The Dutch road safety institute SWOV has established that the total number of serious traffic accidents is still decreasing every year. However, accidents involving cyclists increased by some 30% between 2000 and 2010. Serious bike accidents are often the result of cyclists losing control of the bicycle, and, in many cases, the cyclist is an elderly person. Technical University Delft and the bicycle manufacturer Royal Gazelle have developed a prototype of a bike with smart steering assistance. That may help to reduce the number of falls with bicycles, using a technique that is also used in top track cycling. The bike has a smart motor in the handlebars that provides steering assistance if the cyclist is in danger of falling. Outdoor sports accommodations providing solar energy Up to 80% of outdoor sports accommodations is left unused during daytime. Wouldn’t it be great to use this huge amount of surface to make the city a more durable place to live in? With Solar Carpet it is possible to cover artificial grass surfaces with flexible, rollable solar panels. In this way, sports playfields (and many other surfaces) become multi-functional: used for sports and generating solar energy. When it’s sporting-time, the system simply rolls up and is safely stored in a casing on the edge of the field. 14
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