Therma Blade heated ice skates landing soon

A product some five years in the making is nearly set to hit the ice, and it's (quite literally) bringing the heat along with it. The Therma Blade, invented by Canada's own Tory Weber, is a battery-warmed ice skate that purportedly melts the ice just beneath the skater to provide the wearer with "more speed, less work and an overall better hockey experience." Currently, it seems uncertain whether the new blades will ever see action in the NHL, but amateurs could certainly get an edge over their opponents if they're willing to pay the premium. Unfortunately, we've no idea how lofty that premium will be, but according to the official website, there's under a fortnight left till we find out.

[Via TheStar, thanks Corey]

[[e-mail] @ Oct 2nd 2007 6:41AM]

I learned in fluids that as long as the ice approx. within 0 to -10 degrees celcius, the pressure from all their weight melts the ice directly under the blade anyway. The only way I can see this help is if it's way too cold outside

[Martin Trautmann @ Oct 2nd 2007 7:39AM]

I feel that it's still unclear how gliding does work - so I wonder about specific tests which proof any advantage of heated blades.

I doubt that the blades are significantly warmer at all. This battery is too small to present any danger when you stand still for hours at the same place...

[Paul @ Oct 2nd 2007 8:14AM]

(oh and did we mention that as a result you may melt the ice, causing it to crack and fall through the ice? no? whew, glad we covered that in this warning label)

[Jose El Maton @ Oct 2nd 2007 10:27AM]

@ Paul,
If you're skating on such thin ice, you deserve to go through.

[Grant @ Oct 2nd 2007 2:01PM]

anyone whos played hockey in a colder than normal rink will tell you that even a 5 degree fluctuation can change the ice hardness severely. You have to dig your edge into the ice to get the same grip.
These skate melt a small amount of ice below the blade to allow for more grip with less effort.

you can experience a similar result when skating on ice thats almost exactly at freezing, only then you get a good push but then get slowed down by the not so hard ice.

in conclusion. Soft ice=good drip, easier to get a good push with. Hard ice= harder to push, good to glide. These skates should in theory give you the best of both worlds.

[Zach @ Oct 2nd 2007 7:43AM]

Guys, it's an exploded diagram for something that didn't previously need an exploded diagram. That must mean it's legit. Forget your fluids class.

In all seriousness, I don't really think this is a good idea. If they are warm enough to melt the ice, then what happens when you step off the rink onto that rubbery padding most rinks are made out of?

[Rusty @ Oct 2nd 2007 7:58AM]

But......if a hockey player, or ice skater does a figure
8 on the ice, like in the cartoons, will they plunge into the water they create? LOL

[matthewfkennedy @ Oct 2nd 2007 8:26AM]

This is news? Acme has been selling these for years!

[Verbal_Kint @ Oct 2nd 2007 8:57AM]

Well, it works in speed skating (and has been forbidden already).

[littlesoda @ Oct 2nd 2007 9:16AM]

I doubt that most rinks will let people use these. They will mess up the ice much faster which means more Zamboni runs. I should get in line to volunteer to help out with that.

[Grant @ Oct 2nd 2007 1:57PM]

the amount of ice that is melted by the skate would be re-frozen almost immediately after the skate has been moved, i doubt rinks would have a problem.

[Bran @ Oct 2nd 2007 9:39AM]

I'd rather have a skate without the extra grams. Keep working to reduce the weight of skates and keep the blade fairly sharp.

Survey SAYS! That's dumb.

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 2nd 2007 10:23AM]

Just don't stand in one place for too long.

[Matthew McGuirl @ Oct 2nd 2007 11:21AM]

What is this 'NHL' you speak of?

[NHAnimator @ Oct 2nd 2007 11:54AM]

According to wiki, the NHL was "a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America".

The league apparently died in the mid-oughts due to a lack of leadership in the commissioner's office, low-scoring games, occasional lock-outs, and the fact that there was woman's billiards on tv at the same time, which (combined with games being televised on a short-lived network called Versus) ultimately killed off any ratings for good.

The "National" part of NHL was confusing as no one was sure which nation was being referred to. In fact, most of the NHL players did not speak English, but were of Slav descent. This confusion led to the famous "Illegal Immigration Game" in December of 2004 between Detroit and Minnesota. During the game, players observing the red and blue lines in the ice were confused into thinking they were country borders and rarely approached them. Adding to the insanity were linesmen waiting at the borders to check passports. Needless to say, no player carried their passport with them as they didn't have any pockets. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. (Which is how most NHL games ended when the league closed.)

The "Hockey" part of the acronym was also called into question as the sport resembled less and less the original, hard-hitting game (see: 1970's Boston Bruins). In fact, the NHL briefly changed it's name to the NHOL - for National Hands-Off League - before going back to NHL among complaints that the term NHOL was being used in offensive jokes.

Though the sport enjoyed a resurgence with the release of the popular movie "Slap Shot", that resurgence was short-lived when fans discovered that the Hanson brothers were not real hockey players, but were in fact actors.

[HektikLyfe @ Oct 2nd 2007 11:51AM]

Say it with me guys,

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Seriously, if the ice melts the blade will sink. Even slightly. If you are going really fast, the shoe part of the blade won't melt the ice. I foresee pain and hilarity.

[Evan Brom @ Oct 2nd 2007 12:05PM]

I know I would not want to change batteries in my skates or need to charge them. Warmth is easy why not just put a little Pu in the blade alloy and it will be automatically warm. Oh yes the public fears anything radioactive like the hands on their watches.

[gman @ Oct 2nd 2007 12:54PM]

NHL: a fast, hard-hitting, highly skillful game that not every fat-ass can play. People don't like it because it they don't know how to follow it. For the average person its too fast-paced. Unlike football or baseball where you play for maybe 5 or 6 seconds, then take a break for a minute and do it again. When I want to talk/socialize I go to football games, when I want to have fun and enjoy a sport that takes skill other than running and throwing something, I go to a hockey game.

Aside from that, I'm indifferent if these blades will work. With traditional blades, they already melt the ice slightly and you are always skating on melted ice, which freezes so quick you don't even know it happened. But it does make sense, even less friction would be nice.

[TDot @ Oct 2nd 2007 12:59PM]

some spoiled rotten NHL player will endorse these (for millions)and thousands will run out and get them..meanwhile cowards like todd bertuzzi are still in the NHL and representing Canada at the olympics .. it is discusting , i no longer watch nhl or olympic hockey there is no place for cowardly goons in the sport of hockey.. sadly you wonder automatically if the gold silver and bronze athletes are ALL ON steroids ,(carl lewis / ben johnson 100 meters) it has been revealed the ENTIRE field of runners were on roids' .. or if the fix in in re: figure skating).

[rob @ Oct 2nd 2007 12:21PM]

You're an idiot. Guaranteed you've never played hockey higher then house A in your life. Either that or your a washed up old guy you can't hack it anymore and is mad at the sport. Grow up tough guy, its a rough sport. Your comment doesn't even make any sense, quit wasting your time on here and go get an education. I'm glad you don't watch hockey, its idiots like you that ruin the game.

[Tonicboy @ Oct 2nd 2007 12:23PM]

Huh, the NHL still exists? I stopped giving a damn about that sport years ago...

[p.flynn2 @ Oct 2nd 2007 1:14PM]

eh. gimmicks come and go. as posters have already stated the blades already melt the ice underneath them, no batteries needed. in fact, if the ice is too soft (ie too warm) it is common knowledge among hockey players that you will skate slower than colder, harder ice. i agree with reducing weight and making blades stay sharper longer. f batteries.

[Juaquin @ Oct 2nd 2007 1:43PM]

I imagine that would cause more damage to the ice, making the playing surface even worse (bad as it already gets during a hockey game). I'm sure all leagues will ban them. Otherwise you'd have the Zambini out there every 10 minutes.

[Richard @ Oct 2nd 2007 2:08PM]

"I imagine that would cause more damage to the ice, making the playing surface even worse..."

No no NO NO NO.

Every single person who's made this comment so far really doesn't understand the technology under the ice in a modern rink.

Yes: it will melt the ice. But the friction your skates make while you skate do that as well.

The ice REFREEZES when you go over it.

The entire rink is a concrete pad that has large tubes of LIQUID AMMONIA underneath to keep everything ice cold. That's how the ice stays in ice form in a rink.

Yes, it's cold inside a hockey arena, but do you really think it's 0C (32F) or lower? Of course not.

Will these work? Possibly. It certainly makes sense... even if friction does most of the work, if this helps, even a touch, if it's enough to shave a half second off a sprint to the goal line to grab an iced puck, it's worthwhile.

[Juaquin @ Oct 2nd 2007 8:36PM]

So what you're telling me is that the ice does not get damaged by having people skate all over it? Then why do we have zambonis, eh? We all know the idea behind how it works, your high school physics do not impress us. Even though the water refreezes, it doesn't necessarily freeze in the same place and create a smooth surface, therefore a Zamboni has to come and fix it between periods. What I'm saying is that it's possible that heating more ice and making more ice re-freeze probably causes more damage. Think, then spew.

[Eric Whitney @ Oct 2nd 2007 2:01PM]

Sure all skates melt ice beneath them to form a layer of water which causes glide, but these do it better, a little more water, a better glide and less resistance. Until the batteries go out, then you have a heavier skate.

I think these will prove to have an advantage for serious hockey play, but will not be accepted by leagues.

[morcheeba @ Oct 2nd 2007 2:28PM]

Let's do some math!
I'll assume the battery they're using is 1/3 of my LiPo laptop battery (17" macbook pro). That 1/3 of 70 w-hr, over 75 minutes = 18 watts average output.

The energy required to melt water (latent heat) is 334 J/gram. 18 watts = 18 J/sec, so we can melt 18/334 gram per second = 0.054 g/sec

Ice is 0.92 g/cm³, so volume-wise, we can melt 0.058 cm^3/sec

assuming a skating speed of 6 mph (about 3 m/sec), and that the width of the skate is 1 cm, we can solve for the depth that the ice is melted:

300 cm/s * 1 cm * z = 0.058 cm^3/s
z = depth = 2 micrometers

That's not a lot of extra compared to the estimated film caused by friction and pressure -- 15 micrometers ( http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995AmJPh..63..888C ). The friction coefficient vs. water thickness is probably non-linear at this thickness, so it would be hard to guess how much of an advantage you'd get. It would have to balance out the energy required to swing a pretty heavy battery at the ends of your legs (* and if the battery is lighter, the advantage is even less)

[DarkAardvark @ Oct 2nd 2007 2:33PM]

i'd like to try these! my school season starts in a month and i need new skates anyways.
i guess if it doesnt make that much of a difference, i can return them. i'd still like to know if they actually make much of a difference (weight vs speed vs price)

[morcheeba @ Oct 2nd 2007 2:33PM]

Let's do some math!
I'll assume the battery they're using is 1/3 of my LiPo laptop battery (17" macbook pro). That 1/3 of 70 w-hr, over 75 minutes = 18 watts average output.

The energy required to melt water (latent heat) is 334 J/gram. 18 watts = 18 J/sec, so we can melt 18/334 gram per second = 0.054 g/sec

Ice is 0.92 g/cm³, so volume-wise, we can melt 0.058 cm^3/sec

assuming a skating speed of 6 mph (about 3 m/sec), and that the width of the skate is 1 cm, we can solve for the depth that the ice is melted:

300 cm/s * 1 cm * z = 0.058 cm^3/s
z = depth = 2 micrometers

That's not a lot of extra compared to the estimated film caused by friction and pressure -- 15 micrometers ( http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995AmJPh..63..888C ). The friction coefficient vs. water thickness is probably non-linear at this thickness, so it would be hard to guess how much of an advantage you'd get. It would have to balance out the energy required to swing a pretty heavy battery at the ends of your legs (* and if the battery is lighter, the advantage is even less)

[madhatter @ Oct 2nd 2007 11:06PM]

The blade is much less than 1cm wide, plus the actual surface that's actually putting pressure on the ice is less than if your skates are sharpened to concave, which is the way they should be. Just sharpen your skates the right way and not with daddy's rasp from the toolbox and the edges will be sharp enough to create the right pressure to cut through the ice pretty damned quick.

[Ryan @ Oct 3rd 2007 8:18AM]

hey chill guys.... don't be so quick to criticize a technology you know little about. Admittedly my understanding of the physics behind skating isn't that strong - but here it goes. Supposedly the pressure of a standard skate blade on the ice melts a very tiny amount of water which lubricated the contact between blade and ice and thats part of the reason why there's little friction between the ice on a set of skates. I don't think you'd have to heat the skates to the point where they're melting the rubber floor or melting a hole in the ice- what if the heater only keeps them at 60 degrees? They'd melt that little bit of ice alot easier than unheated skates (which i would imagine stay at a temperature somewhere between the air temp. and the temp. of the ice.... probably between 30-40F).

take the battery out of the equation and substitute some kindof passive motion powered generator (like the system of coils and magnets inside those flashlights you shake - or the roatary system inside "automatic" watches) and you're set!

[Sade @ Oct 16th 2007 6:55PM]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=Ah1IcIUtDLAeFQDVSeZnMGF7vLYF?slug=ap-heated-blades&prov=ap&type=lgns

The NHL are going to test them.

[Brent @ Oct 22nd 2007 1:56PM]

The ice will be fine, to those concern with damaging it, and for those who say that ice damged anyway, this is due to things hockey players would refer to as turning and stopping. If you watch figure skating, which I'm sure a number of these fairies opposed to this new technology due, they don't need to have a zamboni come out after every skater, the whole group can go because the only damage the ice incurs is the turns they make.
I say give it a try, if it makes things faster it can't be that bad. But I assure you it will lead to know falling through ice, or a key-stone cops rutine of people stabding in puddles and falling all over the place.

[monty cawker @ Dec 18th 2007 11:12AM]

According to the Dec. 16 New York times, 4 NHLers are using them and Marty Reasoner of the Oilers likes them - he should know- he's an Oiler!
Time will tell - don't resist change, dude - this could be a very good thing - a good heads up by the inventers if you ask me. I play in a league where they don't zam enough and I'd love to try them out!
Winger from Missoula, Montana