Ice skating ... without the ice

Say goodbye to the Zamboni ... Mitsubishi plastics has developed a new rink without the ice. Japan has seen a growing interest in ice skating, yet -- due to the high costs -- not many ice rinks are operated. This new skating surface is made up of panels of resin-based plastic coated with a thick layer of special wax. The surface is nearly as slippery as real ice and be skated on using regular ice skates.

The plastic surface would allow more skating rinks to operate -- the reduced air conditioning and water costs can save rinks up to $190,000 each year.

One amateur skater who's tried out the surface stated that it was fine for turns and other basic figure skating moves, but more complicated moves would be better performed on real ice.