The true story of the first bow suit is hard to distinguish from the many tales about this legendary invention, but reliable sources claim it was born when skis were attached to the back of each leg and handles provided for each arm. Thus when the wearer squatted down to jump, the bows flexed and upon straightening released their stored energy. Details are scarce because the few witnesses who survived the bow suit are said to be scared stiffer than the bows themselves. However, it is known that running is facilitated by the free movement of the bows when the arms are not holding the handles, and the bottom of the bows are strongly attached below the knees to the feet and legs with armoured wrap around shin guards. Once the wearer runs to speed, grabs the handles much like a backpack wearer holds the straps, and drops into a deep squat, the following action sequence is indescribable because high speed photographic equipment has not been available to record these fantastic releases of energy. However, investigators continue to piece together the evidence, and suspect the bows also function as skis, and the attachment of wheels for a type of street luge.-- rcarty, Aug 17 2013 (?) Image rendered for 2fry http://postimg.org/image/uizv45dqt/ [rcarty, Aug 17 2013] power stilts http://www.youtube....watch?v=kZJxlR0Hu6w [pashute, Aug 18 2013] Admit it, you're just fishing for expert witness fees from coroner's courts, aren't you ?-- 8th of 7, Aug 17 2013 I think I need a sketch.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Aug 17 2013 I could possibly render an image. [link]-- rcarty, Aug 17 2013 anything to do with power stilts? (see link)-- pashute, Aug 18 2013 Yes, a similar concept. I love those things, and intend to order some.
Also, to [2 fries] if he comes back to this idea, that kickstarter.com is open to Canadian applicants starting in September.-- rcarty, Aug 18 2013 Hey hey, nice sketch. I think the cod-piece really ties it all together.
Kickstarter is interesting. Thank you.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Aug 19 2013 I've been thinking about this bowsuit, and if there was some way to also use arm power to flex the bows, perhaps by actually having bow stings that the wearer pushes forward on, then preparing to jump would be a lot easier.-- rcarty, Aug 19 2013 If you made the bows too powerful you'd need some sort of dilatant suit to absorb the shock of release.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Aug 19 2013 There's a good possibility that this would likely separate vertebrae. But if something is designed well, then that risk is minimized. The sketch is really keeping the idea as simple as possible, I didn't draw the shoes in the front view. For the suit to be practical it would have to allow running, which would mean the bows could be attached to the feet, but would have to be able to move freely, sort of lashing around behind the wearer. Then the wearer could pull a ratcheting cord with both hands tightening the bows to the upper body in preparation to jump.-- rcarty, Aug 20 2013 random, halfbakery