Remember the guy who made automatic Wolverine claws? Colin Furze is back and he’s using his mechanical magic to help mimic the abilities of yet another mutant! Using super magnets, electricity, and straps from a pair of tennis shoes, Furze is walking upside down on a metal beam. It’s an impressive feat previously only thought possible by Magneto, NASA, and Lionel Richie…
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For those who were making the criticism that he was a bit over the top last time, don’t hate. I know for a fact if I was clever enough to craft something like this, I’d be bouncing off the walls in addition to my walk on the ceiling dance. I’m no tech wizard but it appears as though he has a current running through the magnet on his shoes, which is what’s making the magnet so strong and keeping him from smacking his head on the concrete below. Then when he wants to move he just hits the button to break the current and moves one foot at a time.
I can imagine Mr. Furze is making this look a lot easier than it is, and he’s not making it look easy. Humans were born to walk upright, and with gravity going against everything you’ve ever known, you won’t be running across the ceiling any time soon. The strength of those magnets has me wondering how easy it would be to accidentally strap yourself to the other shoe, which would cause some forced release scenarios. I also have to imagine the battery life on these puppies isn’t all that long, so wherever you’re trying to get you’d have to get there quick, which doesn’t seem too likely. All this aside, there are numerous health risks to hanging upside down for extended periods of time.
So how long can someone walk upside down before that blood rushing to the head feeling goes south? Doctors have no definite times, but complications that can happen to the body are numerous. Blood can pool in your lungs and cause what is called pulmonary oedema. The pressure from blood rushing to your head can make you blind, or cause clots that lead to a stroke. It’s also a lot harder for blood to reach your heart from your head so you can also risk cardiac arrest in doing so for a long time. Isn’t the Internet great at ruining things that seem fun?!
