Everyone has heard of, and quite possibly used, rollerblades before. A pair of shoes with a line of wheels underneath, these skates are used for everything from sports, to leisure, to ‘exercise in the park’ type weight loss regimes. Most have also, undoubtedly, seen or heard of the Segway, the two wheeled, self balancing personal mobility device. Each have their particular uses: one as an easier way to skate, and the other as a small self propelled vehicle. Action, Inc. brings the two worlds together with the introduction of the spnKiX, a pair of battery powered skates that you control with a wireless remote.
What are spnKix Skates?
Do you remember the old fashioned skates? The ones with four wheels and a metal framework that slipped over your shoes and strapped around your ankles with buckles or Velcro? The spnKiX are, essentially, the same thing. Except that unlike those antique models, the spnKiX are battery operated and controllable. The skates hardware and electronics are all embedded into the fiber reinforced nylon framework, with each individual skate containing a separate motor and battery pack. The battery packs are rechargeable, of course, and can last up to seven miles per five hour charge.
How spnKiX Works
The process behind the spnKiX is actually quite simple. The pair of skates is strapped onto the wearer’s feet and turned on via power buttons on the back. Using the included remote control, which straps to the wearer’s hand, the skates’ throttle and variable speed can be controlled, activating the large wheels on each foot. For those who are unsteady or unsure of their ability to use the spnKiX, removable training wheels are supplied with the skates.
The Technical Details
While many of the specific technical details of the spnKiX are not made public, there are a few specs that are known. The spnKiX skates are made with aluminum and fiber reinforced nylon, which offers stability and strength to the devices. At almost a foot in length, height, and width, the spnKiX has a bit of heft to them. While this helps to add stability to the skates, the sheer weight and size of the skates seem to be a hindrance to some users. A pair of rechargeable lithium batteries (one in each skate) power the spnKiX, and a single charge has a range of about 6 to 7 miles before needing to be plugged back in for a few hours.
Using the spnKiX Skates
Using the spnKiX skates is, for the most part, simply a matter of strapping them onto the feet and pressing a couple of buttons. But, just like the first time one learns to ride a bicycle, it takes a little bit of patience and practice to get the hang of it. Once the wearer learns to balance and control the skates, the rest is, as they say, history. But don’t expect to be doing jumps and tricks with the spnKiX. Because of the size and weight of the skates, and the fact that the maximum speed is a mere 10 miles per hour, the spnKiX are intended to be used for simple mobility rather than stuns performances.
Getting Your Hands on the spnKiX
If you want to get your hands on a pair of spnKiX, it’s not going to be easy. Many online stores are offering a chance to preorder the skates. A certain popular online auction website sometimes has listings for them, but be prepared to pay at least $500 -$600 for them.
