ITHACA COLLEGE, NEW YORK, USA. A new advancement in the area of ice skating has been developed by a group of researchers. The cutting-edge development is a “smart” ice skating blade which can provide accurate statistical information on impact and strain during each use. This gadget is created to measure power and effort while skating, especially for the sport of figure skating. It would also assist trainers in preventing player injuries.

A figure skater experiences a lot of body stress during practice almost every day, doing up to a hundred jumps in each session. This smart skating blade could really help them. Due to the well-thought-of design, skaters can do any routine such as, jump, spin, and tricky footwork because it will never be an obstruction while performing or practicing.

Professor Deborah King of Ithaca College and her team of researchers from Brigham Young University, invented the “smart” blade. They have attached strain gauges to the stanchions, where the blade connects to the boot. When the skater does their footwork, the stanchions disfigure making the strain gauges distorted as well. When it has lost its shape, the electrical defense of the strain gauge modifies.

How this Ice Skating Device Will Help Prevent Injuries

Wheatstone bridge is the device that measures the modification. There is a central control system used to check and calculate the force and impact observed. The device only weighs 142g with battery included and is placed under the boot. Researchers are still developing this invention to merge blade angles into the monitoring process for a more precise measurement of impact.

Image courtesy of pixabay.com

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