Treadways -- motorized electric sneakers -- are designed designed to reduce traffic by facilitating a new form of mobility.
Traffic woes got you down? Or Are you worried about our overdependence on fossil fuels? Why not switch from a motorized vehicle to a pair of motorized shoes?
Los-Angeles inventor Peter Treadway has designed an electric shoe, and just recently released a prototype model that he claims can buzz along at up to 15 miles per hour.
The shoes are lightweight, strap-on, and wirelessly controlled with a hand controller, according to the inventor. And they're powered by a lithium polymer battery, of course.
Treadways (as the shoes are called) are worn on each foot and can be plugged in at any outlet to be recharged. They are designed specifically to traverse the last mile, to facilitate access to public transportation, and to be a more appropriate form of mobility for around-town errands than a car would be.
In a world where the default setting is “car”, Treadways give people a reason to get outside to walk and roll.
Treadway explains, "I noticed that many don’t use public transportation because it is just slightly difficult to do so. I figured that if people really enjoyed getting to and from the local train station, they might step up. (One can still drive a car while wearing them.) It would have to be convenient, because convenience is one of the major motivating factors for change.”
The inventor is up for a James Dyson award -- named after the pioneering vacuum cleaner inventor -- for his concept sneaker.
"I also have a background in fashion," explains the inventor. "I wanted this to be as usable as an article of clothing."
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