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I’m not sure if this should be called a set of motorized skates, a motorized unicycle, or something else. At any rate, the FlyRad pulls the user around while wearing roller skates. It can reach speeds of 25 MPH and travel 31 miles on a single charge:
Users can “ride” the vehicle in a number of ways including sitting, standing, squatting or hands free. Riders can even switch positions on the go. In standing mode the device is held much like a jackhammer which tows the rider along, while in sitting mode the rider sits on the saddle with a pair of skates acting as the vehicle’s front wheels.
Since steering is controlled by the skates, the rider can let go of the handle bars altogether to give the sensation of flying that presumably gives the FlyRad its name. When ridden in this way the FlyRad stays in place by transferring the rider’s weight onto a couple of pads attached to the bottom of the handlebars that push down onto the rider’s upper legs.
Video at the link.
Link via DVICE | Official Website | Photo: Gizmag
I always enjoyed roller skating, but I gave it up for good about four years ago (to the relief of my embarrassed children). I had borrowed my oldest daughter’s skates, which were built for stunts and have no brakes. That won’t happen again. I just found out that roller skating goes back about 300 years:
…the devices never really took off until London inventor Joseph Merlin created a more refined version that comprised of boots with metal wheels on them. He used them to crash a party in a grand display by skating into the crowd while playing the violin. He almost immediately crashed into a wall-length mirror, which brought him even more attention…although likely not what he was looking for.
Not to mention seven years bad luck! Read the events that make up the history of roller skating at Rue the Day. Link
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German daredevil Dirk Auer established a new world record when he raced down a 860-meter wood roller coaster track in under a minute. He maintained an average speed of 56 mph on custom skates that he built himself:
‘After this some of the sides were so high that at times I was at 90 degrees and so it was very important to have as much traction as possible. Luckily everything went according to plan – it was a lot of fun.’
Mr Auer, from Gross-Gerau near Frankfurt, is considered to be the most extreme in-line skater in the world.
He already holds the world record for reaching speeds of 190mph as he was dragged along behind a Porsche GT2.
