They might not be as temptingly dangerous as the 20mph gas-powered skates which were seized by British customs back in the summer of 2007, but Peter Treadway's spnKiX more than make up for their lack of speed with their devil-may-care attitude to vowels and capital letters.
The spnKiX are rather dully described as "wearable mobility," but what they really are is electric skates. There's a motor in each of the big-wheeled overshoes, powered by a battery that takes around two hours to charge. You control your speed by moving a knob on a small, wireless remote.
It sounds wonderful, until you get to the tawdy everyday details. No sci-fi specifications here: the spnKiX will only take you up to 10mph, and keep you going for just 2-3 miles on a charge. How much can you expect to pay for this small boost to your regular human capabilities?
If you pitch in to the Kickstarter drive, you'll pay just $375. Wait to pay retail and they'll cost you $650. For that you could buy a pair of skates and a cheap single-speed bike, both of which have an unlimited range and are powered solely by delicious food.
If you still want a pair, it looks like Peter's Kickstarter campaign will make it to funding next month. With a whole 41 days left to go, the spnKiX have already raised $14,000 of the $25,000 goal.
spnKiX - Wearable Mobility [Kickstarter]
