A couple of new technologies could make ice on the sidewalks and streets much less dangerous this upcoming winter. NY1’s Adam Balkin filed the following report.
Ice is slippery. You didn’t need your local news channel to tell you that. What we will tell you about, though, because we tried them, are two new innovations that seem to reverse that initial statement.
The first, from Vibram, is a new shoe sole with a technology called Arctic Grip. What it does is grip the ice in a way that no longer makes it slippery. How it does it? Well, most of us may never know.
"That is proprietary information. I can tell you it is an advanced filler system that is in our rubber," says David Filar of Vibram. "We do have chemists at Vibram who have worked on this for the past three years to develop it and make it work. How it works, I can't give you more than that."
Arctic Grip soles are in a half a dozen brands of shoes like Merrell, CAT, and Wolverine. They cost anywhere from about $150 to $180.
If you don't feel like buying a new pair of shoes, or you find yourself in a difficult situation with your car, a dirt-like substance may do the trick.
The developers of Traction Magic say ice, no matter how cold, always has a layer of water on top. Their solution is to suck up that water, so to speak, making the ice feel almost as grippy as a sidewalk on a summer day.
"We have a bunch of minerals that we've sourced around the United States that will absorb all the water," says Steve Vernik of Traction Magic. "And it's super gritty, so it creates a super secure traction as it embeds into the ice."
Traction Magic does not melt the ice. On the other hand, it just takes a little bit to work, and it'll last until the ice is melted. A 15-pound bucket will run you between $20-$25.