More speed at your feet
SHIFT ROBOTICS, a portable mobility company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, presents its flagship product: MOONWALKERS.
It is a mobile platform adaptable to different types of footwear, powered by a 300-watt electric motor –charged via USB-C in an hour and a half– connected to eight roller wheels that provide a maximum speed of 11 kilometers per hour and a range of 10 kilometers. Thanks to an intuitive artificial intelligence (AI) transmission, the device adapts to each user's walking style.
According to the technical report, "there are no new skills to learn or complicated technology to understand. MOONWALKERS are not skates; they are for walking. They are safe and stable, like having a mobile walkway on the feet. It's an almost magical way to walk faster, with the goal of transforming human mobility."
According to its inventor, Xunjie Zhang, the idea was to evolve the way we walk, especially when it is too slow and inefficient. "So I set out to improve walking, rather than replace it. Moving doesn't require the typical skating motion. No need to sway, just walk faster to accelerate and slower to decelerate", he explained.
The secret of the invention is that the wheels are smaller and not placed in a single line, which makes balance easier.
The device attaches to the footwear using ergonomic hinges, and the flexibility of its structure allows the foot to bend naturally at the toes, preserving mobility and balance. For stairs, it has a wheel locking system that allows climbing without them slipping.
Typically, people walk at an average speed of between 4 and 6.4 kilometers per hour, but with MOONWALKERS, they can reach a maximum speed of around 11.26 km/h.
With studies at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon, Xunjie partnered with engineers and specialists in propulsion and robotics, as well as shoe designers. After 5 years of research and testing, they achieved a way to "increase walking speed based on the engineering of the human body."
Among its main features, MOONWALKERS are compact, lightweight, and portable. They are intuitive and easy to use, and most importantly, safe. Control will never be lost. They have an intuitive locking mode that allows users to board a train, elevator, or stairs without taking off their shoes.
Many users mention the hands-free operation that allows them to carry groceries or walk their dog as a key benefit.
