Some engineers at Russia's Ufa Aviation Technical University are walking with an extraordinary spring in their step. Gasoline-powered boots, originally conceived to scoot Soviet soldiers across a battlefield, allow them to take 14-foot strides and jog at up to 23 miles per hour, according to Boris Rydoi, chief of the project that developed the technology. Each time a brave soul wearing the boots takes a step, the gas in a cylinder fires, pushing a metal plate away from the bottom of the boot and shooting the walker into the air. Rydoi hopes to sell the über-boots for $400, pitching them as an alternative to in-line skates.
These Boots are Made for Galloping
published online October 1, 2000
Some engineers at Russia's Ufa Aviation Technical University are walking with an extraordinary spring in their step. Gasoline-powered boots, originally conceived to scoot Soviet soldiers across a battlefield, allow them to take 14-foot strides and jog at up to 23 miles per hour, according to Boris Rydoi, chief of the project that developed the technology. Each time a brave soul wearing the boots takes a step, the gas in a cylinder fires, pushing a metal plate away from the bottom of the boot and shooting the walker into the air. Rydoi hopes to sell the über-boots for $400, pitching them as an alternative to in-line skates.
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