Oscar Pistorius Put to the Test

Oscar Pistorius participates in tests at Rice University's Locomotion Laboratory. Experts there studied how his Cheetah Legs affected the relationships between the mechanics of movement, performance, metabolic energy expenditure and metabolic power in his body.
(Video courtesy of Rice University)

More on the studies here: http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=11016&SnID=1654
Listen to the 360 story here: http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2008/08/01/segments/104841

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• studio
• 360
• studio360
• pri
• oscar
• pistorius
• rice
• university
• cheetah
• legs
• blades

[seandillon5150]

thumbs up if Sarif Industries brought you here

[pryese7]

This is pretty funny to me, a test that is only designed to weigh his advantages is a poorly designed test. You must also weigh his disadvantages too and running in a straight line on a treadmill in not the same as running out of starting blocks and negotiating curves with his "blades".

[SuperAmeye]

THANKS!!!!!!!!!

[Ridiciliculous]

@pryese7 They're determining MVO2, not his performance in the 200-meter dash, and how the legs translate energy through his body and thus affect the mechanics of his body, including his metabolism and performance when compared to a different prosthetic.

[pryese7]

@Ridiciliculous the test would have been designed well if it replicated what would actually occur in a 200 meter race not a marathon. "Oscar Pistorius Put to the Test" I said the test is poor can you even read.

[pryese7]

@Ridiciliculous hey 3 things first the comment is 2 years old

Second youre the one who's being stupid because unlike you I observed the WHOLE test that is my opinion of the whole test its biased and until you go through the whole test shut up.

Third the comment is 2 YEARS OLD!

[Ridiciliculous]

@pryese7 They're testing his MVO2 and how his prosthetic limbs affect... Fuck, why bother posting an intelligent response? You didn't even read the bloody description.

[JoseSalasblanca]

if he had an advantage, why havent other handicapped runners achieved his results?

[sandmandj]

He is amazing. I personally think it does give him a bit of an advantage. He has more contact time with the floor, therefore more forward propulsion due to the flexibility of the blades. Contact time in sprinting is really important. I don't think it should stop him from running though as it does take him a hell of a long time to reach full speed. I just feel privileged to live in a time when someone running with prosthetic limbs can be considered to have an ADVANTAGE! Amazing, good luck Oscar.

[bajinj0]

Why he is the only double amputee in the world to run 45 flat?

Maybe he has an advantage,that's true,on the other "disables",but do you think he can run normally in the first 200m?I think not,if he had legs he would reach the wanted speed sooner.

So he has an advantage in the last 150m but a disadvantage in the first 200m,i think that's quite a fair race.

[nodrugsforme]

@kleengizr Wheelchair athletes train just as hard as Oscar. Just like Oscar they don't have legs. Should they have the right to compete in the Olympics too? So what if they are in wheelchairs? Don't their arms work just as hard as the other athletes legs?! You try wheeling yourself for a marathon and see how easy it is!!

If Oscar can run at Olympics using his prosthetics devices, so should they in their chairs! RIGHT?!

*wheelchair marathon times smash the current world record by almost an hour

[nodrugsforme]

@kleengizr Now he's run 45.07 - an Olympic qualifying time. I agree with @Nicool333. He has an advantage. When abled bodied athletes below the knee propulsion is fatigued to a extremely low output over the 2nd half of the race, Oscar's blades still propel him as much as in the first 50m.

Noones saying he can't run - they have a whole other olympics for him - Paralympics.

Wheelchair athletes are in the same position - do you think they should compete in Olympics against able bodied runners?