Remember electric roller-skate, Segway Drift W1 eSkates, we wrote about a few months ago? Well, it is now available, surprisingly, via Indiegogo. I guess being Ninebot-owned does make a difference in the marketing game plan, isn’t it? Anywho, in case you are clueless about what Segway Drift W1 eSkates are… they are basically, erhmmm, roller-skates. Actually, to be more precise, they are essentially the self-balancing hoverboard, but with a wheel on each skate. So, yeah, it is a self-balancing electric roller-skate, powered by Segway’s self-balancing technology.
The Segway Drift W1 eSkates are basically ‘hoverboard shoes’ because, like the hoverboard, each foot is not, I repeat, is not strapped on each skate. You basically step onboard and get going. Considering how difficult it is to pick up hoverboard, I cannot imagine how hard it is for some to get a hang of it. When used correctly, Segway Drift W1 eSkates should give you about 45 minutes of operation per charge and let you zip along paved roads at up to 7.5 miles an hour (12 km/h). To commandeer it around will be like the hoverboard. You lean forward ever so slightly to get it to move forward, while leaning back subtly gets it going backwards. Leaning side to side lets you make turns.
Sound simple enough, but for a person who has balancing issue even on solid ground, I am going to pass on this. But I am not going to deny it is looks pretty damn cool. It is like the future in 2018. Anywho, Segway Drift W1 eSkates is also touted as highly portable and by portable, it means lugging along 2x 7.7 lbs of transportation if you are not riding on it (each skate has an elastic band for hand carrying, btw). That works out to be 15.4 lbs of heft (or about 7 kilograms) which is not exactly lightweight. Segway Ninebot said that it has a torque of no more than 6 Nm, so it can be easy steered and it has a payload of up to 220 lbs (about 100 kilograms).
Other noteworthy highlights include a fancy RGB atmosphere light, IPX6 rated construction, built-in anti-collision (basically, a 10 mm silicone bumper on each end to “minimize damage in case of collision”) and anti-skidding, which basically means a non-slip foot pad so you don’t go slipping out of the skates. Segway Drift W1 eSkates is set to retail for $499 when it hit the stores, but for now, you can grab a pair of Indiegogo for just $369. But hurry cos’ only 17 sets are left with this 26 percent discount. There’s a pitch video below to convince you why this eSkates exists.
All images courtesy of Segway.
