A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience
Distances are typically documented using specific measurement terms like inches, feet, and even miles. But when someone asks you how far it is to the mall, you’ll usually respond with a measurement of time instead of an exact number of miles…
Continue reading… “Why we often measure distances in time”
SteriShoe
If the stench from your footwear regularly kicks up a stink with your other half, then this could be the solution to your relationship woes.
Continue reading… “SteriShoe – Ultraviolet Light Gadget That Will End Smelly Feet Forever”
Unlike the red-light district in Amsterdam, which caters to men and women in search of sex, the Artificial Limb District of South Korea caters to men, women, and children in need of arms, legs, feet, toes, fingers, eyes, breasts, and more.
Reporter Harmon Leon from the Smoking Jacket recently stumbled upon an entire section of Seoul dedicated to the sale of handcrafted artificial limbs. Dubbed the Artificial Limb District, this unusual neighborhood hosts nine such shops, each stocked with piles and piles of limbs.
What makes this so fascinating is that, for one, these limbs have been handcrafted…
Continue reading… “Welcome to South Korea’s Artificial Limb District”
Keep your toes toasty warm!
USB powered footwear isn’t eactly new to the novelty market, but it hasn’t really been embraced by the mainstream clothing makers yet. Well, that’s about to change; Columbia Sportswear just announced the usb powered Omni-Heat boots…
Continue reading… “USB Powered Boots Hit The Mainstream”
The painful price of fashion
About 90 percent of the people who have foot problems are women. Orthopedic surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center say this is because of the fashionable, yet uncomfortable, shoes many women wear. High heels can cause foot and ankle problems when worn for extended periods of time. Cramming feet into pointy-toed shoes can cause painful foot deformities. However, the people who designed these shoes simply don’t care. (Pics)
Continue reading… “Fashion Shoes = Cruel & Unusual Punishment”
What’s better than an artificial nose? Why, an artificial foot, of course! University of Michigan researchers have developed a new prosthetic foot that could one day make it much easier for amputees to walk. Put simply, this new prototype drastically cuts the energy spent per step, as it harnesses the energy exerted when taking a step and enhances the power of ankle push-off. The device is able to capture dissipated energy, and an inbuilt microcontroller tells the foot to return the energy to the system at precisely the right time.
Continue reading… “Energy-Recycling Foot Makes It Easier For Amputees To Walk”
Modern-day running shoes have changed the way people run, altering our gait from that of barefoot running — the manner by which people ran for thousands of years before the arrival of the cushioned shoes found on store shelves today — a new study suggests.
The study showed barefoot runners tend to hit the ground toe first, a style that minimizes forces that jar the body, while people used to running shoes have largely adopted a heel-first style that can mean lots of force on the body.
Counter Culture Icon Fritz the Cat now available on Vans
Vans slip-ons have been a popular and fashionable shoe option for many years now. In recent years, Vans has made shoes featuring designs from pioneering underground artists we really dig like Robt. Williams and Rick Griffin. We were thrilled to find out that they recently added a series of shoes featuring the art of comix pioneer R. Crumb!
Continue reading… “Vans Shoes With R. Crumb Artwork”
Gecko feet have long been a source of inspiration to scientists striving to make superstrong, reusable adhesives. Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found a new way to make such an adhesive grip and release as required, using angled microstructures. These structures mimic the tips of the hairs found on gecko toes, which give the lizard its prowess as a climber.
Continue reading… “Gecko-Like Adhesive That Lets Go”
The last thing I would want in my living room is another family member stewing their bare feet in a bowl of warm water, but that’s the idea behind the Red Pedispa from T4. Still, combining a multifunction massage chair with a foot spa does sound like a pretty decadent way to relax after a hard day pounding the pavement.
Continue reading… “Pedispa – Multifunction Massage Chair”
Have Feet, Will Fly!
Determined Jessica Cox has overcome her fear of flying and a profound disability to become the first person ever to pilot a plane using only her feet. The 25-year-old graduate was forced to improvise after a genetic defect resulted in her being born without any arms.
But Ms Cox, who holds a double black belt in tae kwon-do, has never let that hold her back. ‘I never say, “I can’t do that”. I just say, “I haven’t worked it out yet”,’ she said.
Ms Cox, from Tucson, Arizona, has now taught herself to write, type, drive a car, brush her hair and use a phone simply by using her feet. But the apparently fearless young woman used to be scared of just one thing – flying.
She said: ‘I’ve been terrified and fascinated of flying for as long as I can remember.’ However, she turned it into her ‘ultimate challenge’ three years ago after a fighter pilot insisted she would love it.
Continue reading… “World’s First Pilot To Fly With Just Feet”
