Engineers have designed high heels that you can actually walk in

[bluedigger]

Anyone who's worn high heels will be familiar with the uniquely excruciating pain that comes from cramming your foot at an unnatural angle into a tight, blister-causing piece of leather. But for many of us, the way they look makes the pain worth it... sort of.

Now an astronaut, an engineer, a wearable tech expert, and an orthopedist have teamed up to create a stiletto that they claim will stop us having to choose between comfort and fashion. By using new materials and innovative engineering, they've found a way to spread pressure more evenly around the foot and help prevent some of the damage caused by regular heel-wearing.

Brought together by former Space X executive Dolly Singh, the team has founded company Thesis Couture. "The key was to make it an interesting problem in their language. Asking them to design a high heel isn’t interesting," Singh told Tim Walker over at The Independent. "But asking them to design a structure that supports a secondary structure, which is dynamic and has a 180-degree range of motion and happens to be a human body? That’s interesting. I had to make them see it not as a fluffy problem, but as a serious engineering problem."

Singh admits that she's never going to be able to make stilettos feel like wearing trainers, but she believes that they can definitely make them as stable and comfortable as wedge heels.

Their design includes a unique plastic shank that serves as the 'spine' of the shoe. Usually this shank is made from steel, but by using a strong but flexible and light plastic resin, it not only offers proper support, but also absorbs more of the force from the impact of walking.

http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-designed-high-heels-you-can-comfortably-walk-in

This sound like a good investment to you, Tony?

[underahedgerow]

1. Yeah but at a thousand bucks a pop for the first issues, not exactly a problem solved, now is it?

Plus I see flaws in the design involving the arch and heel.

Not to mention that the platform thing is totally done and was trendy to begin with.

I visualize a fail.....

No offense intended to anyone of course.

[Orrex]

2. Or we could stop expecting women to wear these torture devices.

[Skittles]

4. or women can stop electing to wear ridiculous shoes and outfits

[Orrex]

5. That's certainly true

[nastynaven]

3. engineers

don't engineers have real things to figure out?