RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky's slap shot was always precise and straight as an arrow. Give archery an assist for that.
The Great One's aluminum stick, with a wood and fiberglass blade, was constructed in part using innovations derived from bow and arrow technology. So were the shafts on many a golf driver, the bike frame used by an Ironman triathlete, the drumsticks used by rockers. Cutting-edge advances in archery have even influenced the plastic components on dental chairs.
It's all because researchers discovered: Getting an arrow to fly with accuracy is anything but straightforward.