As obscure as it may sound, this invention has been billed as a potential lifesaver.

The shoe phone's creator, Paul Gardner-Stephen, believes his design could be used to monitor hospital patients and the elderly. He said equipment used to measure pulse, blood pressure and other medical information could be stored in the shoes. It could also house an alarm to alert carers if an elderly person falls.

The phone footwear has a Bluetooth headset in one of the shoes and a Motorola phone in the other. Gardner-Stephen also claims that the device can be kept charged merely by the action of walking or standing still saying: "Energy can be harvested to charge the device during ordinary activity".