Like a SUV in traffic, you'll be high above the crowds, unbothered by slush or dust, in these innovative, lofty shoes. Seemingly balancing on boards, you'll effortlessly soar as you stride in the latest footwear fashion.
Like the wine bottleneck, the toes pass through the opening of the support, but they don't bear your weight, since a shelf-like shrank acts as a sole under your center of gravity.
The high toes can be purchased as an integral part of stylish shoes or as extra shoe elevators, to be slipped on when the need for hanging ten from above presents itself.-- FarmerJohn, Feb 19 2003 (?) Spring and Fall Farmer Fashion http://www.geocitie...hnnie/hightoes.html [FarmerJohn, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] wine bottle holder http://www.physics....1J/wine_bottle.html [FarmerJohn, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] Suspension http://home.earthli...rafix/closeshox.JPGMaybe use bmx-like suspension, but between the 'shelf' and 'leg' of the High Toes? [Jinbish, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004] Japanese "geta" http://www.egeorgeonline.com/getapage/Walking should be similar to the "tengu" style, lower on the page. [lurch, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] spring-loaded prosthetic feet http://www.gameface...org/1_3_mullins.htm [FarmerJohn, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] strength shoes http://www.kbacoach.com/lowtopwhitst.html [mihali, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] Tengu Geta http://www.egeorgeo...taimages/tshirt.jpgI run The Geta Page. I followed the bump in my site traffic here. Interesting. Walking on "tengu" geta is not especially hard. Standing in one place is... [georget98, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004] High Toes. http://www.dailymai...213&in_page_id=1879High toes. [contracts, Jan 19 2008] That's such an elegant idea, Farmer John. I may have to try fabricating a pair of High Toes just to see if they are any easier to master than the more traditional ( and decidely less elegant) plasterer's stilts.-- jurist, Feb 19 2003 Its a nice idea - and sketch. But would they stand up to every day walking about? That shelf is going to act as a lever, with the weight of a person on it. It might need a couple of buttress-like supports or indeed some kind of suspension.-- Jinbish, Feb 19 2003 The 'legs' could be *fashioned* of curved, spring steel.-- FarmerJohn, Feb 19 2003 Oh yes,then return the 'blades' for they would forge thee a fine pair'.-- skinflaps, Feb 19 2003 You'd definitely want something extremely indestructible for the "legs," because if they crack, you're gonna lose your toes. For that matter, though, if indeed the top of your toes do not bear your weight, why would you need the upper extension of the "leg?" Why not just have the "leg" extend to the sole and no further, and put a thong or leather strap, etc. on the upper part of the sole, as a place for the toes?-- beauxeault, Feb 19 2003 These remind me of the long springy 'shoes' which athletes with amputated lower legs use for running in the paralympics.-- hippo, Feb 19 2003 beauxeault: You're right, the upper extension isn't needed. I just kept the 'board look' from which they evolved.-- FarmerJohn, Feb 19 2003 Hey, now short people do got a reason to live.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 19 2003 reminds me of "strength shoes", those things that kramer wore in the seinfeld episode. see link.-- mihali, Feb 19 2003 Very nice, FJ. Balancing might be tough, but I bet they'd be fun.-- waugsqueke, Feb 19 2003 Stay away from sewer grates.-- phoenix, Feb 19 2003 Jin, nah, I don't think you want to spring load it that much. Bends the wrong way for natural walking. As you put your foot down, your heel contacts first, and then your foot rotates. Springloading these would lower the heel point instead of the toes, which would be counterintuitive.-- RayfordSteele, Feb 19 2003 Are you taking orders?-- Worldgineer, Feb 19 2003 'Fraid this is strictly do it your elf. I don't take orders from nobody.-- FarmerJohn, Feb 19 2003 [Rayford]: Hmm good point, unless the aim of this shoe was to force you into some kind of Monty Python gait.-- Jinbish, Feb 19 2003 This is fun, but of course you realize (or at least, as an owner of one of those wine thingies, I realize) that you would go flying forward at the least provocation, and would basically have to carry ski poles to prevent frequent concussions. I would not recommend trying this at home.-- EvilHomer, Feb 20 2003 Walking would be very difficult with these, unless you made them springloaded with a hinge that alters the angle as your foot goes from heel to toe.-- Trodden, Feb 20 2003 Really good fun by the look of them. Concentrating the body's impact on such a small area would inevitably cause indentation in some surfaces - maybe you could employ the classical prostitute's trick of writing something on the sole of the High Toe so the indentations could be read. That would be one heck of a quantum poem.-- Ludwig, Feb 20 2003 And how would you know about that, Ludwig?-- RayfordSteele, Feb 20 2003 Seems it would be hard to walk in them and/or uncomfortable. An interesting thought though..not interesting as in the "trying not to hurt your feelings way" but really interesting. I like them. A wonderful fashion statement and a nifty idea.-- CherryKat, Feb 22 2003 oh the hilarity!-- seedy em, Nov 11 2003 Cool..looks like it may catch on as a fashion trend at some point.. just need to brush up on the aesthetics.
I believe it would be a slightly unnatural position physiologically, as has been pointed out, but then ladies walk in high heals all the time, which is even more unnatural. If this thing is engineered properly with spring/suspension or something of the sort, it might be good for footwear fashion.
Not so easy to engineer because there is a need to pay attention to the mechanical equilibrium, lest you want to experience the pivot/lever effect and topple over. Got to bear in mind that we are dealing with dynamic loading here as people would walk in it, and different people have different walking style and gait. Might need to custom-make this thing. Nevertheless, a good bright idea.+-- mvc, Nov 12 2003 random, halfbakery