仿生弹跳器

我们退回到1998年，那时已经有了滑板和轮滑。后来，一名叫凯西·塞穆尔的设计师计划在一些疯狂的年轻人脚上装一只巨大的弹簧。他设计了一个能节省能量的“仿生弹跳靴”的样品，并声称穿上这种靴子的人一步可以走7英尺，跳离地面4英尺高。这种用铝和玻璃纤维作为材料、用杠杆装置和弹簧来提供动力的靴子经过几年的改进后，22岁的凯西从西米德兰的索利赫尔向加里弗尼亚进发，他希望他获奖的弹跳靴能在那里进行商业化生产。他说：“我十二岁的时候在看一个关于袋鼠的电视节目，于是便有了这个想法。袋鼠将能量储蓄在腿部的肌腱上。我想将这点转用到人类身上。我在大街上试验的时候闹了些笑话，不过的确很有趣。”

THE BOOTS WITH THE BIONIC BOOST

Back in 1998,we had skateboards and we had rollerblades.Then designer Keahi Seymour planned to put a huge spring in the step of youth crazes. He invented a prototype for energy-saving ＂Bionic Boots＂ which, he claimed, enabled the wearer to take 7ft-long strides, floating up to 4ft above the ground.After years spent perfecting the aluminium and fibre glass boots, and the Levers and springs that power them, Keahi, 22, from Solihull, West Midlands, headed for California where he hoped the award-winning footwear would be produced commercially.＂I had the idea when I was 12 from watching a program about kangaroos and the way they store energy in their Achilles tendons. I wanted to replicate that in humans,＂ he said. ＂I get some very funny lool＇s when I＇m testing them in the street, but it＇s great fun.＂