Vancouver, British Columbia Winning gold at the Winter Olympics takes endless practice and rigorous training. It also might help to have some piezoelectric fibers in your skis.

Here in Vancouver, tiny ridges on a U.K. skeleton racer's helmet supposedly made her go faster. Likewise the translucent fabric along the hips of the suits worn by some speed skaters. A Canadian bobsledder won a silver medal in a new sled that cost as much as a Porsche 911 Carrera S. And the U.S. women's hockey team skated into the gold-medal game wearing...