Nay, these are not Air Jordans. They do not make you fly. They help you when you’re already flying. This project is a footwear design made for NASA airmen flying around in zero gravity. What would they do with specialized footwear? Why, attach to things, of course! They’d have an extra appendage to pick things up (of course, if they had big toes like your humble narrator, they’d need no such thing,) and a sassy design across the whole!
Atop the foot there is padding since quite often a floating fellow holds himself in place with the top part, hooking the whole foot under a guide pole. The artificial opposable thumb could help offer a new way of hanging on to poles, but why not have protection for both?
The most interesting thing about this project (believe it or not) is the description provided by the designer. I am totally suspicious about it, since it lists things that aren’t supposed to be happening yet – is he a space traveler? My guess is yes! Check out this excerpt from the project description:
The revolutionary design, which began with consideration of an existing ergonomic and health problem in space travelers, results in reduced foot discomfort and injury, and will improve a spacefarer’s ability to compensate for the loss of gravity. They could be manufactured with many existing fabrics and materials, and can be shipped to orbit, to a growing population of space tourists and workers.
Totally futuristic!
Designer: Edward L Howell
