Roller skating may be fun, but skates make walking difficult and dangerous. To get the best of both worlds, Ching-Long Chen of Taipei, in Taiwan, has come up with a sports shoe that can lower its undercarriage, aircraft-style, and turn into a roller skate (GB 2366741). Notches cut in the shoe’s thick rubber sole hide a pair of roller wheels mounted on spring-loaded arms. To turn the shoe into a skate you simply pull the arms downwards, where they are held in place by a ratchet.
Technology
Get your skates on
By Barry Fox
11 May 2002
