In my 20's I made the Guinness Book of World Records by building the world's smallest telephone -- it was so small it would fit into the sole of a Nike running shoe. This was in 1980, before cell phones, and before cordless phones were around.
It was designed out of necessity, since everywhere I'd go, people would ask me, "Gary, my bedroom extension doesn't ring", or "Gary, I can get a dial tone but I can't dial out. (And I don't know what polarity is.)". So with these shoes I would always be able to troubleshoot.
The first shoe had the actual phone, doing what a lineman's handset would do: It had a monitor mode and could generate all 16 Touch Tone (r) digits. A neon bulb would flash on an incoming call. A polarity LED would glow either red or green depending on the current. And the entire circuitry was potted in resin so I could slap the sole back on via velcro and actually run on them.
The other shoe had tools in it - screwdriver, wirestrippers, alligator clips and a modular plug. (And a swiss army knife.) Also with a removable sole.
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| This was the first prototype. Notice the electronics area is significantly larger than the final version below. The speaker was different too. |
The phone was listed in the 1985-1987 editions of the Guinness Book of World Records. It also spent two years in a telecommunications museum in Germany.
I was bored in college, OK?
The phone still works, although column 2 has since shorted out, meaning you can't dial a number with a 2, 5, 8, or 0 in it.
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Building the Shoe Phone
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| Damaged in manufacturing. There goes $60! |
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| Pouring the resin to protect the electronics |
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| It made the local paper. |
