Motorized, AI-Driven Moonwalkers Shoes Aim to Enhance Walking, Reshape Urban Mobility

Our cities are changing, and it’s (mostly) not for the better. Pressed for time and space, we’re forced on a seemingly never-ending search for better, more efficient and less costly means of transportation in the urban landscape. Moonwalkers want to be that ideal product that solves most of the problems and that is, at the same time, adaptable to varying needs.

Moonwalkers are described as the world’s fastest shoes, which seems a strange thing to say since a shoe can only be as fast as the person wearing it. The description is accurate, though, since this is no regular shoe, but an AI-driven motorized gadget that you strap on top of your regular, non-smart shoe, and is then capable of motor-assisting you to walk with the speed of running.

In case you’re thinking this sounds like rollerskating or its more modern version, of power-assisted rollerskates, it’s not. Shift Robotics, which launched the Moonwalkers on KickStarter last month, is determined to avoid the confusion, through taglines like “free will, not freewheel” and the more-obvious “walking not skating, due to the ergonomic hinge system.”

The idea with this new proposed means of electric urban mobility solution is that it packs a brushless, 300W DC motor and a variety of sensors into each shoe, along with a patented drivetrain comprised of eight wheels, two different “walk” modes, and the capacity to adapt to changes without the wearer needing a remote control. Using it is intuitive and very easy, with Shift promising that, as long as you can walk, you can Moonwalk.

The main difference between this motorized shoe and whatever version of a rollerskate is that, with this one, the wheels don’t move unless you do. You’re not rolling faster to your destination while doing one heck of a balancing act, but are actually walking faster with the help of the motorized wheels, and this makes the ride safer and more comfortable, whether you’re walking to work, up a steep incline, or out to walk the dogs or buy groceries.

There is no risk of toppling over like you would on skates, either, due to the dual modes and the quick learning of the AI, which adapts to your gait and speed, and all-terrain capacity of the platform. Put it simply, the faster you walk, the more the Moonwalker accelerates (up to 7 mph / 11 kph); when you stop, the Moonwalker stops.

Using top quality materials, like automotive-grade reinforced plastics and high-pressure diecast aluminum for the structural components, and military-grade, multiple redundancy electronics hardware, Moonwalkers are durable and functional on a variety of terrains, including on gravel, cracked pavements, through puddles or up inclines. Shift is currently based in Pittsburgh, and since they developed about 9 prototypes over 5 years in the city, they have had the most challenging infrastructure to test them against.

Each shoe weighs 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg), and together come with a maximum payload of 220 pounds (99.8 kg). Shift has tested them on heavier persons, and only noticed a 10% decrease in performance in terms of battery life and speed: in terms of safety, nothing changes about the product with a heavier wearer.

Range is about 6.5 miles (10 km) per charge, but varies on riding style and conditions, and the weight of the wearer. Using a 45W charger, you can top up the battery from dead to 80% in one hour. To compensate for the limited range, the Moonwalkers deliver multiple functionality and ease of use, which makes them the perfect first- or last-mile solution for the daily commute.

The Shift Robotics team is made up of robotics and racecar engineers and shoe designers, and their stated goal is to create the one product that would revolutionize walking. You’d think walking doesn’t need that, but any city dweller slash daily commuter would beg to differ: moving about the city during rush hour traffic is a nightmare, and walking is not efficient over longer distances.

So, this motorized shoe aims wants to “take one small step for walking, one giant step for the future of urban mobility” by bridging that cap. It wants to do so for $1,399 retail price, once the crowdfunding campaign ends.

It’s a noble mission, but it also looks like a lot of fun.