It's actually not quite as dirty as it sounds. Thermablades, developed by Tory Weber, are heated to five degrees Celsius, which cuts down friction between the skate and the ice by increasing the layer of water between the two. Result: Players go faster, easier. Right now, barely 10 players are set to don the fancy footwear next month, but the idea has enough traction (sorry) that Wayne Gretzky himself thinks they're "going to revolutionize hockey." I know nothing about hockey except what I learned from his N64 game and I suck at skating, so I'll take his word for it. [Reuters]

Tags: design | heating | ice | nhl | sport | water | wearables