Bionic Boots

This guys totally excited about his new invention, and I would be too. He's running up to 25 mph with these ostrich inspired Bionic Boots!

Keahi Seymour has spent more than a decade designing his Bionic Boots after the movement of an ostrich, which can effortlessly reach speeds of 25 mph, covering 5 metres in a single stride. He has gone through numerous prototypes during his long quest to out run the ostrich, and in its current form, his Bionic Boots can finally match the ostrich's running speed of 25 mph.

A large spring in the back imitates the achilles tendon of an ostrich's long legs, providing the wearer with more downforce. This provides the user's stride with a much greater spring in his step, so the forward force is increased well beyond his own unassisted capability.

This concept is similar to that of the 'Powerblocking' boots or 'Powerstilts' invented by German aerospace engineer Alexander Boeck pictured below. Except the 'Powerstilts' allow for too much spring reducing the user's speed to around 20 mph. 

According to a PopSci interview, Seymour says he won't rest until he can outrun the fastest land animals on the Earth. So, he's got a lot of work ahead of him if he plans to catch up with the cheetah which has been recorded at 60-74 mph, let alone beating the ostrich which has a top recorded speed of 45 mph. But despite his future ambitions, the current prototype is still pretty cool.