May 26 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
`Walk-on-ceiling' shoes are here
Washington:
AGENCIES
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A British inventor has developed X-Men-style magnetic shoes that let users walk upside down.To create the shoes inspired by X-Men’s Magneto, Colin Furze drilled holes in an old pair and fitted the sole of each shoe with an electromagnet.
When the magnets proved to be too weak, he headed to the local scrap yard, located an abandoned microwave, and removed the transformer, CNET reported. Once the transformer was freed from its microwave, Furze sawed it up to get at the magnetic coil it contained, ran some current through it, and found that the coil could hold his 80kg frame.
Next, he created custommade plates attached to the magnets with straps that wrap
ped around his shoes. Then came switches for each shoe that could cut the current and allow him to move one foot in the front of the other.In a hilarious video, he demonstrates, unsuccessfully, his
attempts at learning to walk without crashing to the floor.
“The shoes will hold me with 12 volts of power, but it can really hurt your back,“ Furze said.
“My wife was a bit surprised when she saw me hanging upside down from the ceiling.“Magneto, the primary villain of the X-Men comic and movie series, can use his powers to manipulate electromagnetic fields and move objects around with his mind.
Furze has also created reallife Wolverine claws with 30cm stainless steel blades. The blades both deploy and retract automatically at the touch of a button held in the hand.
Some of Furze's earlier inventions include a turbojet engine and unique “vacuum shoes“.
When the magnets proved to be too weak, he headed to the local scrap yard, located an abandoned microwave, and removed the transformer, CNET reported. Once the transformer was freed from its microwave, Furze sawed it up to get at the magnetic coil it contained, ran some current through it, and found that the coil could hold his 80kg frame.
Next, he created custommade plates attached to the magnets with straps that wrap
ped around his shoes. Then came switches for each shoe that could cut the current and allow him to move one foot in the front of the other.In a hilarious video, he demonstrates, unsuccessfully, his
attempts at learning to walk without crashing to the floor.
“The shoes will hold me with 12 volts of power, but it can really hurt your back,“ Furze said.
“My wife was a bit surprised when she saw me hanging upside down from the ceiling.“Magneto, the primary villain of the X-Men comic and movie series, can use his powers to manipulate electromagnetic fields and move objects around with his mind.
Furze has also created reallife Wolverine claws with 30cm stainless steel blades. The blades both deploy and retract automatically at the touch of a button held in the hand.
Some of Furze's earlier inventions include a turbojet engine and unique “vacuum shoes“.
