 |
Poweriser: Extreme Sports Gear from The Diamond Age
In The Diamond Age, author Neal Stephenson creates a vivid picture of a future Shanghai. The novel mixes "futuristic" devices based on nanotechnology with simpler mechanical devices that are almost Victorian in their simplicity.
One of these devices is the pedomotive, a device for improving the speed of cops on the beat:
Imagine my surprise when skimming Kevin Kellys' Cool Tools, I found a real-life pedomotive.
It's called the Poweriser, by Superdairyboy Toys & Extreme Sports. (Note: in Europe, you might want to take a look at PowerSkip; the Superdairyboy guys tell me this product was first developed in Germany, possibly for professional acrobatic entertainers.)
"A constable from the Shanghai police, legs strapped into a pedomotive, was coming down the street with the tremendous loping strides afforded by such devices... [more]
Here's the scoop:
"Powerisers are worn on your feet. One Poweriser for each foot.Each foot rests on a foot pad. A lock and release strap system(similar to a SnowBoard Binding) of two straps holds your shoe tightly against the foot pad. This system is very similar to a ski boot.
A bar comes up the back of your leg, and goes around the front of your leg right below your knee. When using them, your leg rests snug against this (padded) bar, which is what gives the stability. A small strap is attached behind your leg at this bar, which does a bit to keep the bar against your leg."
Don't miss the Extreme sports video clips.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/11/2004)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion (Back On) ( 11 )
Related News Stories - (" Transportation ")
Evacuated Tube Transport Idea Is 200 Years Old This Year!
Take a look at the financial calculations behind this idea; one-tenth the cost of high-speed rail!
myTaxi iPhone App May Transform Taxi Business
Let's start combining these modern developments to get the services we want.
'Loogie Gun' Deployed On Pennsylvania Turnpike
Ever been stuck on the highway?
VoltAir Electric Aircraft Concept
An electric powered aircraft might be quieter and more comfortable.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
MIT Robot Cheetah Video Shows Gait Transition
'The legs are long, curled way up to deliver power, like a cheetah's.'
TrackingPoint Smart Rifle
Not your typical 'smart bullet' approach.
'Hello, Computer!' Google Now Highlighted at IO13
'Hello, computer!'
Sky City's 220 Stories Are Go
'It rested among green parklands and... stood in total isolation, a glittering block of whites and flashing windows dotted with colors.'
CARMAT Bioprosthetic Total Human Heart Replacement
'George Walt's corporate existence proved the workability of wholly mechanical organs...'
Personal Sniffer Robots
'...The ticking combinations of the olfactory system of the hound.'
Physical Exam? We've Got Apps
See the future of handheld, personal medical devices.
The Interplanetary Internet, Vint Cerf Speaking
'This was the center of Interplanetary Communications.'
Drosophila Robotica, The Mechanical Fly
'... the Scarab [flying robot] buzzed into the great workroom as any intruding insect might...'
Robo-Raven Flapping Wing Robot Bird
'When he had first built them, they had been crude indeed, flying mechanisms with little more than a reflex-response unit.'
Japan's Nursing Home Robot Plan
Let's make the Roujin Z-0001 Robotic Bed!
Samsung Smart TVs With Gesture Control
'He waved his hand and the circuit switched abruptly.'
Swiss HCPVT Giant Photovoltaic 'Flower'
'...leaning against one of the slender stalks of a sunshade-photocell collector.'
Mini-Livers Made By 3D Printer
Organleggers may experience an employment downturn.
Smartphone Sensor System Tracks Gunfire
'Sound trackers on the roof could zero in on weapons action...'
Bacteria Now Make Biofuel Like Oil
'They have ... germs that eat pretty near anything, and produce oil as a waste product.'
