Ocean Rodeo came to Camosun College with a problem. The company, a kiteboard manufacturer, wanted to build a new kind of composite control bar for kiteboards — but could a “plastic” bar hold up to the rigours of kiteboarding?
After meeting with the Camosun Innovates team, Ocean Rodeo agreed to partner with the college on an NSERC Engage Grant, and first year mechanical engineering technology student Ben Costin was hired to work part time with Camosun Innovates on the project. Ben conducted a series of destructive tests that mimicked and exceeded the stresses and forces that kite-boarders would put on the bar used that controls the kite and influences where the boarder is heading.
Ben’s controlled studies showed the bars were breaking in roughly the same place with identical patterns. With the help of a local expert in injection molding, he created an injected-molded control bar, which ultimately solved Ocean Rodeo’s breakage problem. The new bar has since been launched with great success; some call it a game-changer for kite-boarding.
The company was so pleased with the results of the collaboration it worked with Camosun Innovates to pursue a three-year NSERC Applied Research grant to continue their joint research and development efforts. The funding allowed Camosun Innovates to hire Ben after his graduation to work with Ocean Rodeo on designing and fabricating other prototypes.
