“It’s not a skate, only for walking!”
There is no question that development in technology has pushed and will continue to push our concept boundaries. If we think of shoes and define what shoes are we might include some of the following ideas:
- we wear shoes to protect our feet
- shoes can be a fashion statement
- we wear shoes for walking or running
- we put wheels or blades on shoes to skate
- the human body is responsible for the movement
Definition shoes from Merriam Webster:
: an outer covering for your foot that usually has a stiff bottom part called a sole with a thicker part called a heel attached to it and an upper part that covers part or all of the top of your foot
shoes : another person’s situation or position
: a flat U-shaped piece of iron that is nailed to the bottom of a horse’s hoof”
To invent something new, we can broaden the concept of shoe and add the idea that shoes should do all the work. Below is a video that shows how this broadening Concetta has been used to design what has been described as the world’s first electronic undershoes. You simple strap the Rollkers ‘walking skates’ to your shoes and off you go gliding at speeds up to 11 km per hours (seven miles per hour). As a comparison speed walking or power walking is usually around 7 to 9 km per hour (4.5 to 5.5 miles per hour).
Do not have to push, all you have to do is walk and
the rollkers walkies shoes propels you forward!
