Awesome Stuff: Repurposing Skateboards

from the rolling,-rolling,-rolling dept

For this week's awesome stuff post on interesting crowdfunding projects, we'll take a look at three separate projects that take the classic idea of a skateboard, and try to do something... different with them.

• The Chargeboard Lots of people complain about cell phones running out of batteries, so some guy over in Amsterdam figured why not slap some dynamos on some skateboard trucks, add a powerbox and a connection, and boom, you've got the Chargeboard -- a skateboard that will powerup your phone while you ride. Just, uh, try not to kick up any rocks into the face of the phone, I guess...
• Emery Skatebench Yes, the the Emery Skatebench is a bench made out of a skateboard deck -- which is not an entirely new concept, but the main differentiator here is also using skateboard wheels as the feet of the bench. The wheels can easily be locked if you want the bench to not move -- or unlocked if you want it to roll (though I would imaging trying to skate on it is not recommended.
• SkatE-Pods The SkatE-Pods are skateboard-like electric vehicles -- and you can add a handlebar and make it into an electric scooter as well.

That's it for this week -- go outside and ride around on something with wheels...

Filed Under: awesome stuff, skateboards

DailyDirt: Unusual Human-Powered Transportation

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Walking is such a boring way to travel for some folks. All kinds of gadgets to help people move faster with less effort have been tried, and some products (like skateboards and roller blades) have survived an initial fad to become somewhat useful means of transport. But some things haven't quite proven their worth beyond being fleetingly-popular toys. It doesn't hurt to keep trying to come up with better ways to get around, so here are just a few other examples of things designed to move people.

• The German-designed FLIZ is a modern take on the velocipede -- and it looks pretty dorky. Riders of this bike are hanging from a harness, and they "pedal" by simply walking... so there's not that much mechanical advantage. [url]
• Normally, kids on skateboards go down the handrails of stairs, but a skateboard design called the Stair Rover tackles stairs head on. But the Stair Rover probably solves a problem that few people really wanted to fix.... [url]
• The pogo stick isn't exactly a means of transportation, but it's become an extreme sport. The Guinness Book of World Records has recorded the highest jump at 9 feet 6 inches (over a bar). [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

Filed Under: bike, fliz, pogo, skateboards, stair rover, toys, transportation