Walking sucks. It’s tiring, requires too much effort and, worst of all, it’s slow. Humans were built to walk? Sure, but why, in a time of such incredible technology, are we still doing it? I don’t care if it’s good for me. Walking can piss right off. If only there were shoes out there that could make walking faster, then maybe I’d consider actually doing it!
I am, of course, totally kidding. Walking is awesome, and I don’t think it needs to be modernized whatsoever. The people over at Shift Robotics, however, do think walking needs to be modernized, so they invented the Moonwalkers.
The Shift Moonwalkers aren’t shoes, but rather pieces of technology that you strap to your shoes. With ten wheels on each foot, they’re meant to increase your walking speed to up to 7mph and, with a range of 5-7 miles, they certainly have the potential to shorten your morning commute (if it’s a walking commute, of course). Plus, as they’re charged with a simple USB-C, you could plug them in while working to make sure you have enough power for the commute home.
They don’t seem too difficult to walk in. They’re meant to enhance your normal stride, so tutorial videos encourage you to walk near normal with a slight lean forward. According to their website, they can travel up a max slope of ten degrees and come to a complete stop within 2 feet. It is important to note, however, that they have a max user weight of 220 pounds, so if you’re like me, you probably won’t be able to use the Moonwalkers.
These are cool, no doubt, and they seem like they’d be a good bit of fun. I can’t really find a reason for someone to purchase these for commutes or just generally getting around, especially when bikes, longboards, and devices with faster motors exist, but they do seem like they’d be fun to rip around town on! That said, the price, in my opinion, is probably too steep to really allow that.
The Shift Moonwalkers are currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter with the cheapest tier currently available costing $1,099. When made available for general purchase, the Moonwalkers will reportedly cost a hefty $1,399.
Image Credit: Shift Robotics via Instagram