A team of Montreal university researchers has developed an audible hockey puck they say could revolutionize the sport for blind players. For years, visually impaired hockey players have used a tomato juice can or a steel container filled with small balls as a puck. The improvised devices work, but players have trouble finding them on the ice when they stop moving and become silent.

Three years ago, Gilles Ouellet, a blind hockey player and employee of Université du Québec à Montreal, came up with the idea for a puck that makes a continuous sound. Now, he and a team of researchers have created a prototype consisting of a shock-absorbent plastic shell with a battery-powered circuit board inside. A series of sensors analyzes puck movement and transmits the data to a buzzer, which can be adjusted to a maximum level of 120 decibels — about equivalent to a chainsaw or a thunderclap.

“It’s going to make the game faster and more interesting,” Ouellet said. “And because the puck makes noise when it’s in the air, it’ll help goalies make more saves.”

Steve Vezeau, one of the researchers behind the project, said the team initially thought it would take six months to develop. But then they realized how hostile the hockey environment can be. “There is the question of impact, but also the cold and humidity,” said Vezeau.