4 cutting edge technologies helping to improve your Boccia game
DEMAND Design & Manufacture for Disability have been making Boccia ramps in the UK for over 14 years. Starting with custom designs and one-off requests from special needs schools and colleges, eventually there were so many enquiries that the team created a range of ramps available for anyone to buy. Since then, these assistive ramps have enabled hundreds of people with complex and severe disabilities to enjoy Boccia.
Thanks to the innovative technology in DEMAND’s workshops, the go-to ramp for Boccia beginners, the Boccia Lite, is more accurate and versatile than ever. It is the first ramp to feature DEMAND’s innovative precision engineered ‘V’ channel, proven to keeps the ball on a straight trajectory when travelling down the ramp and onto the court.
Here’s a look at the cutting edge technologies helping you play at your best with the new Boccia Lite:
1. Rapid prototyping
In depth testing of the Lite’s new design was key to developing such an accurate ramp. By using a 3D printer to create scale models, many different designs could be tested quickly (using very tiny boccia balls we imagine!). Using these scale models, the team at DEMAND were able to develop a new ball holder which works even at the steepest ramp angles, allowing for more powerful and faster shots on the court.
2. Computer aided design and manufacture
With just the click of a mouse, this computer controlled (CNC) router can cut almost any 3D shape. It’s been used to create a mould that will be used to make thousands of Boccia Lite ramps, and it’s accurate to within just ⅓ of a millimetre. A precise mould makes for a precise ramp after all!
3. Vacuum forming
Each ramp is made by heating and forming a sheet of durable plastic. Manufacturing in this way means the ramp gains rigidity and additional features can be included, like the integrated ball rest and indexing edge for the add-on extension, while still being lightweight and durable enough to throw in the back of the car.
4. CNC Trimming
The final stage in each ramp’s journey through the workshop is trimming. Using a computer-controlled machine means every ramp is finished with the highest degree of precision, with smooth edges every time. From here, ramps are cleaned and then adorned with their stickers before being packaged and shipped to their new owners in all corners of the world!
Boccia ramps from DEMAND are available to buy online in DEMAND’s shop.
DEMAND can also help with modifications to your ramp. Tweet them @DEMANDcharity or get in touch via DEMAND’s website.
Daniel Michel to be the first Australian boccia Paralympic competitor since 2000
Via Inside the Games
Daniel Michel is set to become the first Australian to compete in boccia at the Paralympic Games since Sydney 2000 after being selected for Rio 2016.
The 21-year-old from Sydney earned a place in Brazil after finishing sixth in the BC3 category at this year’s World Individual Championships in Beijing.
“The Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) is incredibly proud of Daniel and the high performance boccia program we manage,” Australia’s Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin said.
“To have a boccia athlete like Dan earn the right to represent Australia at the Paralympics for the first time since Sydney 2000 is a testament to the hard work the APC and our partners have put into developing the national programme over the past four years.”
Michel was born with spinal muscular atrophy type two, a motor neuron disorder which leaves him requiring assistance for everyday activities.
“Daniel has shown immense commitment and determination in reaching this point, and has proved himself to be a true leader for up-and-coming athletes with more severe disabilities,” said McLoughlin.
“He has been training exceptionally hard, and I’m looking forward to not only seeing him put this truly unique Paralympic sport into the spotlight in Australia, but for this to ensure a brighter future for the sport.”
Australia were represented by three men and three women at Sydney 2000 but none of them won a medal.
Daniel Michel, seen here competing at the BisFed World Championships, is set to become the first Australian to compete in boccia at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro since Sydney 2000 ©BisFed
Daniel Michel, seen here competing at the BisFed World Championships, is set to become the first Australian to compete in boccia at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro since Sydney 2000 ©BisFed
“I’m really excited to be selected,” said Michel.
It feels like a really good reward for the effort I’ve put in this qualification period.
“Being the first person to represent Australia at a Paralympic Games since Sydney 2000 is a massive honour.
“I’m really proud to have that title and to be doing that for my country.
“I’m hoping it’s going to have a huge impact on the sport and on the reputation and perception of people with severe disabilities.
“The overriding public perception surrounding severe disabilities is that people living with these disabilities aren’t really capable of succeeding in a sporting atmosphere.
“There’s an emphasis on being successful through academia, but sport is never really promoted as an avenue through which people with severe physical disabilities can achieve enjoyment and also success.
“I think when people see boccia at the Paralympics and see all these athletes competing with severe disabilities; it’s going to really widen their ideas of what people with disabilities are capable of doing. It’s going to help shift those perceptions.
“I think it’s going to go a long way in opening the eyes of people living with disabilities, and it’s going to show them the opportunities they have to play and compete in a sport.”
The winner of the Paralympic gold medal in the BC3 class at London 2012 was South Korea’s Ye-lin Choi, who beat team-mate Ho-Won Jeong in the final.
Via Inside the Games
news from the world of Boccia 