Not all shoes are equally safe

Scientists have proved the uselessness of winter boots

Kristina Ulasovich, N+1

Canadian researchers in a specially equipped laboratory have shown that most winter boots are not suitable for walking on ice. This is reported by the press release of Researchers discover most winter boots are too slippery to walk safely on icy surfaces on the website of the healthcare organization UHN, the results of shoe testing are published here.

About 20 thousand residents of Ontario, a province of Canada, annually go to the emergency room due to injuries that are associated with falling on ice or snow. A recent report by the Toronto City Department of Health (Toronto Public Health) reports that a significant proportion of people aged 35 to 85 years have decided to go out less in winter as a preventive measure. Very often, the cause of falls leading to injuries is shoes that are poorly suited for walking on ice. Therefore, the staff of the iDAPT laboratory decided to compile a public rating that will help people choose "safe" shoes.

To do this, Canadian researchers tested under controlled conditions how well different winter boots are suitable for climbing and descending on slippery ice. During the "test drive", the volunteer put on shoes and walked up or down a small slide, the surface of which imitates ice. At this time, the researchers observed him and recorded the maximum angle of ascent and descent that he could overcome without slipping. After that, the boots were additionally tested in conditions of melting ice, and they were given an overall rating on a three-point "snow" scale.

Shoes received one snowflake if it was possible to walk safely on small hills, the angle of inclination of which was in the range from 7 to 10 degrees. Two snowflakes were given for overcoming the slide with an angle of inclination of 11-14 degrees, and three – more than 15. Only 8% of 98 pairs of tested shoes, including Timberland and Caterpillar products, received from 1 to 3 snowflakes; 89 samples failed the test without scoring a single point. The shoes whose soles are made using Green Diamond and Arctic Grip technologies have been tested the best of all. The researchers note that it's all about the special coating and shape of the soles, which provide good grip with melting ice.

At the moment, scientists are developing and testing prototypes of shoes that will be able to get two or three snowflakes on the scale they created. However, such shoes will go on sale not earlier than in two years.

As a model for creating anti-slip materials, animals are often used whose organism has adapted to moving along vertical or almost vertical planes in the process of evolution. The largest known creatures that can climb on smooth vertical surfaces are geckos, lizards, mainly living in the tropics and subtropics. Recently, a study of their paws helped explain why, in reality, the comic book hero spider-Man could not exist.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  28.11.2016