The difference between winning and losing Olympic bobsled races is measured in hundredths of seconds. Until now, surprisingly little effort has been given to improving driver performance through technology. This year, the U.S. bobsled team is using a new and improved bobsled simulator designed by a team of UC Davis researchers that includes graduate students. The big thrill for Ph.D. candidate Ken Huffman was watching the drivers climb into the simulator and run the course. The simulator helps enhance drivers' skills by providing interactive computer simulation of this year's Olympic course in Lillehammer, Norway. Its operation is similar to the flight simulators used by pilots. "The drivers love it," says Huffman, a mechanical engineer, who has worked more than three years on the project. As a dynamic systems and control expert, Huffman designed many of the cockpit controls and steering mechanisms that simulate realistic turning forces. "What contributed to the success of this simulator is effective communication," says Huffman. "In many cases communication is the difference between successful products that are useful and those that are not. It's a valuable lesson to learn which undoubtedly will make me a more effective engineer."