It seems that not a day goes by without another “extreme sport” – that’s the case with free running. Have you heard of it? I hadn’t until watching a Modern Marvels episode on rubber. Take a look at the videos below to see free running (and you can marvel at how many of these young people will survive into adulthood…)
Aside from a complete disregard for one’s well being and superb physical condition, the people who practice free running also have special shoes with a rubber sole that has extra gripping properties – the way it works is that the rubber is “soft” such that it molds into the nooks and crannies of the surface it is touching. This technology is also being used in rock climbing shoes unsurprisingly. This “stealth rubber” was invented by a company called FiveTen and they’re now selling many shoes to people in need of extra traction. Tweet
There’s a great parkour chase scene at the beginning of the latest James Bond movie (Casino Royale) with one of the “inventors” of the sport. Everything in the chase is real with no CGI.
I say “invented” because the real inventor was Jackie Chan and the rest of the Hong Kong action movie stuntmen. And he did it all without special shoes. 🙂
Of course, all of it is just an extreme version of the kids’ game “the floor is lava.”