Stranger Than Friction
The Tech and the San Jose Sharks have issued a challenge: Build a better skate
In an ultracool partnership with The Sharks Foundation and SAP, The Tech is proud to introduce Innovation on Ice, a new design challenge that explores the effect of material properties on friction. Guests will get a chance to build and test their own hockey skate blades, replacing the traditional steel blade with CDs, plastics, foams and other familiar materials.
After attaching their blade to a hockey skate, guests can test the frictional properties of their blade material on our inclined track. The time required to slide down the track is precisely monitored and provides immediate feedback on skate speed. By iterating through multiple materials, guests can hone in on a low-friction design and shave seconds off their slide time.
“We see our visitors grow confident as they tackle fresh challenges every day. This activity is a new and exciting tool to encourage our visitors to see their ability to use technology to solve big problems. Making connections and igniting passions through sports and our downtown neighbors, the San Jose Sharks and SAP, is a great bonus.”
—Prinda Wanakule, Director of Experience Development and Prototyping
In everything from the elastic rubber in our car tires to the smooth glass in a cup, friction is an omnipresent force in the engineering of devices for everyday life. This design challenge will bring these common materials to life in an unusual way.
Innovation on Ice provides an exciting lesson about friction and materials science through the lens of ice skating. Starting March 21, you can build your own hockey skates on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come try it out!
Can you build a faster skate using …
… CDs?
Compact discs are thin, which reduces the contact surface area. They’re made of rigid polycarbonate, an impact-resistant plastic that maintains its shape.
… foam?
This is a high-friction material, which causes it to stick to our track. Foam is also pliable and tends to bend under the weight of our skate boots. Thicker foam holds its structure better but slides more slowly.
… cardboard?
The flutes in corrugated cardboard increase stability in one direction but cause folding in the other. Depending on how the cardboard is cut, guests may find their blades buckling and veering from side to side!
… coroplast?
This durable plastic sheeting is commonly used for outdoor signs. It is corrugated like cardboard but more rigid. It is also slicker than cardboard, so it will slide better.
