An American inventor has designed a pair of motorised shoes.
The battery powered high-tech footware called “spnKiX” resemble a cross between a ski boot and a roller skate with oversized wheels. Users strap the motorised skates onto their shoes and they glide smoothly along at speeds of up to 16 kilometres per hour. The futuristic shoes are the brainchild of Peter Treadway, a Los Angeles-based industrial designer.
“I was going to lunch one day and couldn’t find a place to park,” Mr Treadway said. “So I thought ‘Why don’t I make something that could get me from home to someplace really close by?’
Each shoe has a battery and a motor and they are synchronised to work together as “sort of mirrors of each other.” The rechargeable battery allows the wearer to go about 3-5 kilometres on a single charge and needs about two to three hours to fully juice up again. The shoes will begin shipping in March and will sell for $649 a pair.
Mystery naked man goes viral
One of France’s best-known mail order catalogues has apologised after web users noticed a naked man in the background of an advertising photo published on the children’s section of its website.
The photo of four young children with their arms around each other running on the beach while a naked man walked serenely through the sea behind them was removed from the site but has since gone viral on the internet.
“La Redoute has withdrawn the photo in question from its website, it has posted apologies on Facebook and Twitter,” an unnamed spokesman said, adding that an internal enquiry has also been opened to determine how the error happened.
No walk for dog in the park
A dogs’ home is seeking a new owner for an animal with an unusual condition – an allergy to grass.
Seven-year-old crossbreed Buster suffers intense itching if he takes a walk in the park, and prefers a trip to the beach where he can play itch-free on the sand. The condition, known as an atopy, is similar to hayfever and is permanent.
Buster is being looked after by the Dogs Trust in Darlington, County Durham, until he finds a new owner.
India complains about Top Gear
Indian diplomats have complained to the BBC about a “disgusting” episode of Top Gear filmed in the country.
The 90-minute India special showed Jeremy Clarkson talking to locals while dressed in his boxer shorts and included a car fitted with a toilet in the boot which he said was “perfect for India because everyone who comes here gets the trots”. They also put banners on trains carrying certain messages which became obscene when the trains moved and the banners were torn.
Raja Sekhar from the Indian High Commission in London said a letter had been sent to the BBC to “convey our strong disappointment”. It is not the first time the show has run into trouble after venturing abroad.