Measuring stored potential energy in a bent ski

Projects General Guidance
1

I want to put a flex sensor on a ski and log data from it to determine how far the ski is bending and how much energy is stored and released.

I'm not sure how sensitive these flex sensors are, whether they need a 45° bend or a gentle curve to be useful.

I think I could easily calibrate it by placing weights on the ski supported at the tip and tail and measuring the flex. I wouldn't need to know the exact shape of the bend, I could use the analog input to get a rough idea of how much bend there is.

Would I be able to calculate the stored potential energy based on how much the ski bends?

2

Well, you've mentioned a bunch of the caveats... you'll be able to get an estimate, but for the reasons you described, there's some work involved in getting potential energy from that.

I think the big factor is how sensitive the flex sensors are over the region of interest, and how you would place them to best measure the energy stored - maybe some areas flex more to store a given amount of energy because they're not as stiff?