With his invention “Five Fingers,” Naturns’ Robert Fliri gives us all back a feeling that most have forgotten since childhood – that of walking barefoot. On a shared tour, we rediscover our feet as a sensory organ.
We walk through the
mountains, run to the train station, stroll through cities, and if we are in a hurry, take two steps at a time. Have you ever thought about what a complex process walking is? Once set in motion, our legs tick evenly like clockwork. The only species on the planet to do so, humans move upright on two feet and have been able to populate even the most remote areas of the world. For about a year, we learn to walk as small children and – almost like riding a bicycle – never forget it again.
Robert, are we underestimating our feet?
“The human foot is a masterpiece, unique in nature. It consists of a complicated system of bones, muscles, tendons, tissues, joints and layers that allow a wide variety of movements. For example, if you walk barefoot, you can't roll your ankle. But even more fascinating – and few know this – is the large number of receptors in the soles of our feet. They communicate continuously with the human brain via nerve cords. This provides the brain with important information about the environment and the nature of the subsoil, which is essential for people to be able to move quickly and safely, especially on uneven ground.”
The feet serve as eyes, so to speak? Robert Fliri laughs, and although born in 1976, he looks much younger at those moments. We sit on the village square in Plaus and talk about what the renowned New York Times called the "best invention of the year" in 2007: the Five Fingers, whose idea was born on the sunny Naturno Sonnenberg Mountain. In order not to just talk about it, I slip myself into the "glove for feet" during the conversation and recommend that anyone who would like to be the center of attention should go to a café in Five Fingers: curious looks are guaranteed.