RocketSkates Kickstarter Blasts Past Funding Goal in 24 Hours

[Rhykker]

RocketSkates Kickstarter Blasts Past Funding Goal in 24 Hours

Seeking only $50,000 in funding, the Kickstarter project for the ACTON R RocketSkates has raised over $140,000 in less than four days.

While they aren't actually rocket-powered skates - I imagine those would lead to a prompt and messy death - the ACTON R RocketSkates are a sort of electric rollerblade that scoot you along at up to 12 miles per hour. Just keep your shoes on, strap in, and control your speed and direction with your feet.

Each skate has two hub motors that are controlled by an on-board microprocessor that allows them to communicate with each other in order to maintain the same speed - unless you're an olympic-class gymnast, you wouldn't want one skate zipping off without the other. The batteries take an hour and a half to charge, and a charge lasts between 6 and 10 miles (or 45 to 90 minutes), depending on which of the three models you buy. Smartphone integration gives you key stats like battery status and route tracking, and at seven pounds each, the RocketSkates are considered "lightweight" - your mileage may vary. Ahem.


[kickstarter=petertreadway/acton-r-rocketskates-worlds-first-smart-wearable-m]


If all goes according to plan, RocketSkates will start shipping by autumn. And I think we can forgive them for not having actual rockets.

Source: Kickstarter [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petertreadway/acton-r-rocketskates-worlds-first-smart-wearable-m]

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[Falterfire]

If all goes according to plan, RocketSkates will start shipping by autumn. And I think we can forgive them for not having actual rockets.

Speak for yourself. As far as I'm concerned, no rockets means no purchase.

I'm skeptical of how useful they'll actually be. They look like the sort of think that's really gimmicky but not actually that helpful, but they're small enough that I could see them actually having some practical applications since they could be stored more easily than a bicycle or segway.

 

[Candidus]

Okay. Sure. So long as they come with a very modest weight limit in-built, which when exceeded causes the shoes to lock up and play a message, like "HA-HA, nope! Someone fetch the ham-planet his walking shoes!"

People need to walk more. Not less. What we really need is for shoes that know your destination and spend the whole journey wheeling in the opposite direction-- so it's like fighting an escalator forever.

 

[AndrewC]

Edit: remove this comment pls, I misclicked and messed it up ._.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

So these are just Segways for your feet?

 

[UNHchabo]

Okay. Sure. So long as they come with a very modest weight limit in-built, which when exceeded causes the shoes to lock up and play a message, like "HA-HA, nope! Someone fetch the ham-planet his walking shoes!"

People need to walk more. Not less. What we really need is for shoes that know your destination and spend the whole journey wheeling in the opposite direction-- so it's like fighting an escalator forever.

I imagine it would require some amount of muscle work to even keep yourself upright while wearing these, so I don't really see this as a problem. I imagine it'll mostly be fairly fit people wearing them anyway.

As for "rocket-powered skates", there's always this:

Spoiler: Aston Martin versus Jet-Powered Rollerskates

 

[Dinosorcerer]

Watching the video, it occurred to me that the way the throttle is controlled is pretty stupid. going forward by leaning back would only cause you to lose balance because you're going to be pushed backwards with your body's inertia (your body is like a lever with its fulcrum at your center of mass. The skates will be forcing your upper body back even without the tilting due to acceleration). This becomes even more of a problem when stopping, seeing as there is nothing between the front of your shoes and the ground. All I"m saying is, if these things get made,expect a lot of fools to be tripping and falling backwards trying to make them things work.

 

[Rosiv]

This reminds me of a Anime, Air gear. I always wanted one of these things. Even though they sound like suicide on wheels.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I hate this. For the same reason I hate those fuckin segways. At least with the roller blades you're exercising your leg muscles. Not with this. This is for lazy people. Unless you have a genuine health problem that prevents you from walking for an extended period of time, please don't buy one of these things. Or a segway. Just walk or ride a bicycle.

 

[Triaed]

Wile E. Coyote will be proud!

I'd prefer simple inline skates myself. I have the control and get the road feedback.

 

[tacotrainwreck]

I've been looking for a new and exciting way to hurt myself for quite some time now. I'm sold!

 

[Ninmecu]

Okay. Sure. So long as they come with a very modest weight limit in-built, which when exceeded causes the shoes to lock up and play a message, like "HA-HA, nope! Someone fetch the ham-planet his walking shoes!"

People need to walk more. Not less.

This, absolutely this.

I hate this. For the same reason I hate those fuckin segways. At least with the roller blades you're exercising your leg muscles. Not with this. This is for lazy people. Unless you have a genuine health problem that prevents you from walking for an extended period of time, please don't buy one of these things. Or a segway. Just walk or ride a bicycle.

While I fully support the desire to exercise more, it's been shown across multiple studies that merely attempting to exercise more in order to lose weight is, in itself, a flawed concept and is largely the reason so many people (1 in 6 at last check.) fail diets involving caloric restriction and an increase in exercise. The Calories in Calories out model is severely flawed and has yet to be thoroughly proven in the broad scheme of things. That being said, this is neither here nor there relating to the OP.

On topic, how is it a product like this will likely achieve mass acclaim but me walking down the street in toe shoes gets me marked as a

Spoiler: Language I'm not overly fond of, feel free to add your own colorful language if such things offend you.

fucking retarded ******

despite the fact that we've evolved for millennia to walk and move barefoot. The belief that we suddenly need all of these cushion supports is ludicrous. Yes I'm aware Vibram Five Fingers is being sued successfully for false advertisement, that's their own fault for over stating the product. The fact that the shoes allow me to walk with a natural gait and avoid the dangers of being barefoot in an urban environment makes them worth the purchase for me. These "rocket skates" are of little if any interest to me, all the same, I wish the product well.

 

[Kyber]

I hate this. For the same reason I hate those fuckin segways. At least with the roller blades you're exercising your leg muscles. Not with this. This is for lazy people. Unless you have a genuine health problem that prevents you from walking for an extended period of time, please don't buy one of these things. Or a segway. Just walk or ride a bicycle.

Yeah, totally, I hate cars and airplanes just for the same reason, because of these things now people exercise less, why do people have to invent things that make life for some easier and more fun? I hope we never invent teleportation or something that makes personal flight easy, that would just be horrible, people wouldn't walk so much.
And yes, that was sarcasm.
Let people make their own decisions, I can understand that fat people on the street can bother you, they bother me too but it's no reason to not let them decide how to live their life, they aren't hurting anyone but themselves.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I hate this. For the same reason I hate those fuckin segways. At least with the roller blades you're exercising your leg muscles. Not with this. This is for lazy people. Unless you have a genuine health problem that prevents you from walking for an extended period of time, please don't buy one of these things. Or a segway. Just walk or ride a bicycle.

Yeah, totally, I hate cars and airplanes just for the same reason, because of these things now people exercise less, why do people have to invent things that make life for some easier and more fun? I hope we never invent teleportation or something that makes personal flight easy, that would just be horrible, people wouldn't walk so much.
And yes, that was sarcasm.
Let people make their own decisions, I can understand that fat people on the street can bother you, they bother me too but it's no reason to not let them decide how to live their life, they aren't hurting anyone but themselves.

Way to miss the point mad. Really, great work.

 

[Kyber]

I hate this. For the same reason I hate those fuckin segways. At least with the roller blades you're exercising your leg muscles. Not with this. This is for lazy people. Unless you have a genuine health problem that prevents you from walking for an extended period of time, please don't buy one of these things. Or a segway. Just walk or ride a bicycle.

Yeah, totally, I hate cars and airplanes just for the same reason, because of these things now people exercise less, why do people have to invent things that make life for some easier and more fun? I hope we never invent teleportation or something that makes personal flight easy, that would just be horrible, people wouldn't walk so much.
And yes, that was sarcasm.
Let people make their own decisions, I can understand that fat people on the street can bother you, they bother me too but it's no reason to not let them decide how to live their life, they aren't hurting anyone but themselves.

Way to miss the point mad. Really, great work.

To be fair, you made your point really badly, I can understand what you mean and sorry if I wasn't polite, it's been a bad day.

 

[Looming_Shadows]

Fuck you I see no rockets. Mildly disappointed. 1/10.

 

[K.ur]

Not a fan of having the wheel in the middle of the foot. Tried similar "you can walk or roll with it"-stuff and it always over-straights the knees or the sole scraps the road.

 

[Baresark]

Cool concept... will never take off. The normal price for these is $500. That is a fun looking gadget, but that is too much for it.

Though, I was in NYC and once saw this woman roller skating to where ever she was going. It was early-ish, she was holding her hot cup of coffee in two hands and just skating away. It was actually very graceful. If I lived in the city, and wanted to go from uptown to downtown and not kill myself doing it all the time or spending money on a taxi... this would probably be a good alternative. And 12 MPH is pretty fast, the average human running speed is about 8 mph, and the average sprinting speed is apparently like 12-15 mph... All of the suddenly these are looking more viable.