Do you like walking, but is it too slow? With the Moonwalkers from Shift Robotics ($1399) you can outrun everyone.
Moonwalkers from Shift Robotics: seven-mile boots powered by electricity
The idea is actually very simple. Every time you take a step, you exert force on the ground. The ground also exerts force on you, propelling you forward. But what if you don’t mind a magical sun exerting so much force on the ground? Then you move forward twice as fast, right? Exactly the thinking behind the Moonwalkers and it seems to work well.
The creator of the Moonwalkers, Zhunjie Zhang, has long been annoyed by the big problem in American cities, such as Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. There are no cycle paths. This forces you to walk great distances or take the car. So he decided to come up with something to make walking easier.
If you give a push at the right strategic moment, when the roller skate touches the bottom, you can move as fast as someone who runs while walking. He shared his dream with a team, and after five years of hard work, through a Kickstarterand nine rounds of prototypes, they managed to get the Moonwalkers ready for production.
How do the Moonwalkers work?
The Moonwalkers are a kind of smart roller skates that you can tie under your shoes. Each roller skate contains an electric motor and a battery that adjusts itself to your walking habits.
When you have taken a few steps with the Moonwalkers and are used to the extra weight on your feet, you can move on to the next phase. You can then enable them. From that moment on you will find yourself moving twice as far with every step you take. And slow down? There is also an intuitive method for that. Take smaller steps and the Moonwalkers will slow down on their own.
Speed, weight and reach
With the Moonwalkers you can reach a speed of around 11 km/h. The roller skates each weigh just over a kilo. The range is just over 10 km. That means that you can walk on it for about an hour. You can charge the roller skates using a USB C gate. This takes about an hour and a half. A charger is included, but it may be less useful outside the US. Unless you buy a separate travel plug.
To reassure you: the braking distance is very short, one metre. Are you walking down a slope? Then the roller skates automatically brake for you. It is even possible to walk up a flight of stairs with the Moonwalkers.
Currently only available in the United States
The Moonwalkers are currently in production and the first supporters of the project are now getting their smart roller skates delivered. Due to the complexity of the logistics chain, this is currently only within the United States. It is not known whether there are plans to sell them outside the United States.
Of course it is always possible to buy them through a specialized freight forwarding company such as MyUS.com and have them sent to the Netherlands or Belgium. So at an additional cost you still have them at home. On the Shift Robotics website can you order them.
The factory with which they have signed an agreement is currently busy producing and delivering the Moonwalkers ordered by Kickstarter participants. From April 2023 they will be made to order.
