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Gas-Powered Shoes?
Glen Davis writes: "A Russian inventor has created motorized shoes! The shoes weigh 2 pounds apiece, and work by means of foot-long pistons which trigger a plate attached to the shoe's sole. Single strides are up to 13 feet long, and wearers can attain speeds of up to 25 mph! The shoes are gas-powered." (BBC article with pictures here, submitted by Ave.)
So I was thinking, now that I have this alternator, how about I add a couple shoelights to them so people can see me at night? Not being one to be outdone, I used flourescent lights.. I'm environmentally friendly, afterall. Gotta add a ballast for that though. We could save on weight by running the wire up the side of the pants leg and back down the other, though I can't say I like the idea of 450v going by my precious jewels. But, in the name of science, I did it anyway. They work great too.
So I have these peltier-cooled flourescent gas-powered walking boots. Doing all this required that I supercharge it to about 10psi and use a higher octane fuel. I got a great deal on peltiers though from Melcor, they're offering me volume discounts now. I painted them black 'cuz black looks cool. There's wires all around it, but that's the "in" thing now, so I'm not too worried. I added some fuses to the outside for easy replacement, as I've found the flourescent lights can overload the alternator and short when they first turn on. Should add a capacitor and a power inverter.
You know, since I've got this nifty power source, I decided to make it wireless. Why not power up the shoes and make them walk to me in the morning? Forget the stupid dog! That'll require a bigger starter engine though 'cuz of all the electronics... Done.
I also decided to add a computer heads-up display. We're using over 3000w of power right now, so I decided to go with a transmeta. Besides, heat production being what it is, a pentium would be too much. And I have to mount it on my chest now. I also added a belt-keyboard and mouse .. plus USB ports.
Infrared would be good for tracking down lusers, so I've also integrated that into the HUD display. I don't know why people keep running away from me when I'm wearing my shoes (what's so bad about them?!) but now I can track them down. Hey, I'm getting a transmission on my wireless downlink....
*cackle* We are the borg...
I'm sure this is going to sound stupid until you think about it. Remember playing playform scroller games? Like Super Mario Bros. The play control in the 'Mario' games was decent -- you could do things like adjust your trajectory in the middle of a jump or fall, but remember all those other games where it was impossible to move while not on the ground? Where if you jump forward, the direction buttons do nothing until you're back on the ground?
Without a way to adjust your destination, mid-flight, wouldn't these things be incredibly dangerous? This would be somewhat like running on ice, or losing the brakes on your car while driving.
Sure it's a cool idea, but is it practical?
Just don't go after any roadrunners with them.
[1]ACME= A Company that Makes Everything
Christopher A. Bohn
cb
Oooh! What does this button do!?
It sounds like something I'd like to try (but probably only the once :)
One question though - how do you stop? The BBC article says the pistons are triggered by the foot hitting the ground, so presumably once you have started you have to wait until the things run out of fuel.
(This brings up another interesting question: What happens if your left foot runs out of fuel before your right foot? This would probably make for some painful accidents).