Gas Powered Footwear is probably a technology without a market at this point, but the fact that they have been able to propel a runner at up to 21.7 MPH is definitely intriguing.
Very simply, each boot is like a pogo stick. When the piston is compressed, the engine kicks in and forces the piston back up, adding to the power of the runner.
It all sounds good until you get to the negatives that have been found. First off, if the engine is not timed perfectly to the piston, your legs can take quite a shock. That also makes them pretty unstable to use. Secondly, they have found that with the weight of the current boots, it is more tiring using than than just plain running. That sorts of defeats the whole purpose. Unless these negatives can be overcome (and possibly even if they are ) these boots may never actually see actual production – but they might be cool just to experiment with.
