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.
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
