Electronic Kick and Glide

In the September 18-24 issue of The Economist there is an article
about digital/electronic enhancments of sports equipment. It details
research and early apppications to tennis rackets, downhill ski
bindings, GPS golf tools, the Adidas 1 running shoe that takes 1000
readings a second to adjust the degree of cushioning...and better kick
for us.

Page 10 in the Technology Quarterly Section

" 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"