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I live in the state of Michigan, about a two hour drive from Detroit, which is known as "Hockey Town". So needless to say, I am a pretty big Redwings fan. The Redwings slogan for the 2007 season is "Fire on Ice", and that will really ring true if these new hockey skates, with built-in heated blades, are approved for use in the NHL.

These new heated skate blades will be tested by a group of NHL players sometime in November. The blades work by generating heat, via a battery and resistor built-in to the skate, and thus heating up the blade of the skate to about 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, the 41 degree blade will then melt the ice, and create less friction for the skate to glide across the ice. This will, in theory, make players able to skate faster because of the lower friction levels.
Therma Blade Inc. Heated Skate Blade: Source: Reuters

The maker of these new heated blades is a company by the name of Therma Blade Inc. located in Verdun, Quebec. The inventor of these heated skate blades is Tory Weber from Calgary, Alberta. He came up with the idea for heated skates when he slipped and fell on some ice while wearing a pair of shoes that had been resting on a heater.

Will this technology even work? Some experts say that the heated blades reduce friction by up to 50%! Other people are saying that this new technology is the most important innovation in skate design since the steel blade was invented back in 1850.

I was a still a little skeptical about the usefulness of a heated skate blade, until I read that Wayne Gretzky is an investor in Therma Blade Inc. He says that these new heated blades "are going to revolutionize hockey". How can you argue with the "Great One"!

Source: Yahoo News

Joe Eitel
Electronic Innovations
InventorSpot.com