Power Treads

Eila poked the heel of the boot with a concerned expression. "Just a bunch of springs, right?"
Tarvo shook his head. "There's also an engagement mechanism. The springs get wound tighter with each stride, from the miniature flywheel in the heel."
"I can't say I see the benefit." Eila straightened with a frown. "So you can run or jump a little higher. Is that worth ten thousand Florin?"
"No, but one can only assume the technology here will only improve. Once you get more instant power delivery, a new version of these boots could let you, I don't know, jump over a wall, or leap over a gap." Tarvo shrugged. "That being said, I'm no power-engineer, but I do have an imagination."
"Like I don't?" Eila flicked him on the forehead.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Power Treads were exhibited at the Etoilean Inventor's Fair in 724, as a project from the Etoile Academy. A number of springs have been attached to a pair of ordinary workman's boots, with a miniaturized flywheel being placed in the heel, and clockwork used to bind it to the springs. The person wearing the treads can flip switches on each boot to a 'charge' or 'discharge' mode. When charging, the wearer can spin up the internal flywheels simply by jumping up and down. The flywheel will spin up from the physical compression of the springs discharging into the flywheel. When discharging, the flywheel will instead discharge its own energy into the springs when the springs are fully compressed, forcing them out and causing the wearer of the boots to move faster or jump higher.
It takes a significant amount of practice to move effectively while wearing the treads, without falling over or jumping into the ground, but its exhibition at the Fair prominently featured an athlete jumping the full height of another and leaping a ten foot gap.

Item type

Armor

Current Location

Etoile Capital City

Related Technologies

• Power

Rarity

Unique

Weight

15lb

Dimensions

Roughly 20" long by 8" high

Base Price

9,500 F

Raw materials & Components

Two workman's boots, some springs, lots of clockwork