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Air tube extending stilts

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Have you ever tried to put on a large set of stilts? No, I haven't either, but I suspect a rather tall chair might be involved.

This is another way to do it:
Put on the stilts in the collapsed state. Jump up and down, and a check valve lets a little air into the telescopic cylinder each time, with the rider getting ever higher.

Finally, a valve lets the air back out to bring the rider back to normal level.

The valves could be remote control, I suppose, using a key fob. It might look quite comical if the legs got shorter as the rider walked up some stairs, or other silly antics.

Ling, Mar 06 2008

Bootstrap_20pulling [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 08 2008]

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       Hah! Good idea! +
xandram, Mar 06 2008
  

       I *have* tried putting on a large set of stilts, and it is indeed difficult, at least for me. I think jumping up and down is probably for people with a little stilting experience, but the same effect could be obtained by lifting alternate legs off the ground. You'd have to make sure that both legs retracted in synch, or it could get nasty.
MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 06 2008
  

       I'm thinking that you are going to need a solid, mechanical lock in the system for each stilt. Otherwise, when you lift a leg, the air cylinder in the stilt is going to gadoink out to full extension, making it impossible to walk.   

       I'll happily bun ratcheting stilts, but not air-sproinging stilts. [ ]
baconbrain, Mar 06 2008
  

       I like it even with the gadoink.
Amos Kito, Mar 07 2008
  

       Yeah, I would find it comical if someone gadoinked themselves. Maybe the remote could have a panic gadoink button, for when someone tries to steal your air powered stilts.
rascalraidex, Mar 07 2008
  

       Pogo stilts?
skinflaps, Mar 07 2008
  

       Sounds very useful. Particularly if you just picked up something from ground level and need to get right back to up stilt level (fresh paint, mortar, tile, etc). Of course a loss of pressure or blow-out on one leg would be a thrill!   

       You could also extend the concept to a diving board that raises in height with each bounce…
CwP, Mar 07 2008
  

       (+) There was an idea similar to this from before the crash. [link]
[baconbrain] you owe me a happy bun.
  

       Happily bunned.   

       And for this one, after some more thought and re-reading, I like it better. But I still think there's going to be some give if you depend on the air to hold you up. Maybe that's understood and designed around.
baconbrain, Mar 08 2008
  

       <looks for old stilts in shop>   

       Bloody hell that sounds awesome.   

       <casts considering look at unused camera tripod>   

       How stout do you reckon this would have to be?   

       There are many reasons to bun this idea, not least of which is "gadoink."
elhigh, Mar 12 2008
  


 

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