The Segway is really just a grown-up version of those annoying kiddie scooters – a fad that we keep hoping will finally run out of steam. So we’re skeptical about the still very much in development robotic skateboard that is currently being tested in Japan. Why do the Japanese need a robotic skateboard would be the first question to ask, as the island nation is rather crowded to say the least!
But that doesn’t seem to stop the designers at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo from working on a very high-tech board. The Robo-Skateboard prototype according to online reports weights about 15kg, is about 30cm wide and 60cm long and about 25cm thick. It works much like a regular skateboard, where you stand on it and lean to make turns. Your shifting body weight will thus let you steer, but lean forward and you’ll get to pick up some speed. Put your weight directly on your feet and you’ll be flying like Tony Hawk – almost anyway, as this board can hit speeds of 10kph.
The board features four load sensors, with one on each of the corners of the board, along with a motor on the sides plus a computer unit in the middle. The board isn’t for the truly stocky however, and is suitable for riders up to 80kg (about 176 pounds), but when is the last time you saw a stocky skater? Likewise, the prototype isn’t exactly for the distance, and currently it will run for about an hour on a single charge.
But the key word is prototype and the developers how to reduce the weight and make it a bit more affordable. However, the robotic skateboard will still probably cost around $1,000. That’s a lot of decks for the average skater.
[Via Crunchgear: Japanese university develops Robo-Skateboard]