"I’m stoked to offer you the first look at our killer new Rise Venturi with XPD Technology. Continuing with our ongoing goal of making kites more efficient and packing even more power per square meter, here are a couple of key highlights.
1) You’ll note we’ve gone to a 6 strut design, and as such eliminated the center strut. This improves aerodynamics in a critical area of the kite, and reduces weight where you want it least. The end result is a kite with yet more power, greater efficiency, higher stability, and a more rigid canopy less prone to distortion at the top end of its range!
2) XPD Technology. You can see that panels on the LE get exponentially larger when moving from the center of the kite to the tips, and that they mate up perfectly with the 6 strut layout.
Larger panels at the tips increase projected area, reduce drag, and provide direct steering input. The transition to smaller panels at the center better matches the curvature at the trailing edge, and provides better airflow and lift. More power! "