"John O'Connell" wrote in message
om...
" Take cross-country skiing, Victor Petrenko, an engineer at Dartmouth
College Ice Research lab in New Hampshire, has invented some smart
ski-brakes that, he believes, will increase the popularity of
cross-country skiing by making the sport less challenging for
beginners. The brakes, currently being tested by a ski manufacturer in
the Alps, offer the necessary friction for a bigger "kick-off force"
and make the skis less likley to slide backwards in their tracks. To
make this happen, an electric current from the bottom of the ski
pulses through the ice, melting a thin layer of snow that instantly
refreezes and acts as a sort of glue"

"The power will be supplied from a pair of 12 volt car batteries strapped to
the back of the skier".

Barry