RocketSkates Are A Real Thing: The Future Is Here!
If Segways and roller blades had a baby, it would be RocketSkates. Now, I know what you're thinking -- RocketSkates? That sounds like some fancy futuristic thing. When I hear the term "RocketSkates," I personally picture a pair of snazzy shoes with angry flames bursting from the heel.
The real RocketSkates are electric, motorized devices that unfortunately don't involve any fire -- but they still look like a ton of fun to cruise around in. Check 'em out in action:
They kinda look like roller skates on steroids, don't they? They're not as complicated as they seem, though. Each skate weighs less than seven pounds and slides on over your normal flat-soled shoes. You can fly down the sidewalk or street or wherever at speeds up to 12 MPH. And it's not a pain to transition from riding to walking -- because the wheels are located on the sides of the skates, you can easily climb stairs in them.
RocketSkates are the brainchild of designer Peter Treadway, who wanted to create a transportation device that had all the convenience of a Segway without the steep price tag or the -- let's face it -- blatant nerdiness. While Segways are around $5000, RocketSkates check in between $499 to $699. That's still a huge chunk of cash, of course, but it's not as absurd as Segways are.
The cost of RocketSkates depends on how far you're trying to go. The least expensive model, the R-6 Red ($499), runs for about six miles or 45 minutes -- more than enough time to get you to your class across campus when you're too lazy to walk.
The R-8 Terminator Chrome ($599) goes for eight miles or 70 minutes.
And the R-10 Deep Space Black ($699), the most expensive RocketSkate, lasts a full hour and a half.
You can sign up to test ride RocketSkates, which are currently available for pre-order, over at rocketskates.com. Or, you know, you could just walk to your destination -- but that wouldn't be anywhere near as fun.
