Segway’s new e-skates actually look cool
Segway, the company behind the decidedly uncool ‘personal transporter’ of the same name, is launching into a brand new category, the e-skate.
Unlike the chunky Segway, the Segway Drift W1 e-skates look pretty cool, and utilise the company’s gyroscopic self-balancing technology so each shoe only needs a single wheel.
It’s a world away from traditional roller skates and roller blades, which each use four wheels to allow you to balance on them.
Being able to use fewer wheels not only dramatically reduces the size of each skate, but should also make them much more manoeuvrable.
Range anxiety
Our biggest question at the moment concerns range. While normal skates are completely unpowered, the Drift W1s are motorised, allowing them to transport you with very little effort. Presumably the battery is packed into the skates can’t be very big, which would limit range.
The amount of self-balancing tech inside the skate makes us think it’s unlikely you’ll be able to use them when they’re out of juice.
Unfortunately it sounds as though a full release might be a ways off. Segway is planning on showing off the e-skates for the first time at IFA 2018, where it will be holding a press conference at its booth.
In the meantime we’ll have to content ourselves by watching the promotional video that the company has produced, and which is embedded below. Check out how the riders seem to just stand on the skates, rather than have to strap their shoes in or wear them as boots.
What do you think of the Segway Drift W1? Let us know @TrustedReviews
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
