Urban Transport

Ride on: Staying upright on Segway's awkward Drift W1 e-Skates

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Segway's dancers demonstrate how good the Drift W1 e-Skates can be... on the right feet
James Holloway/New Atlas
The professional dancers at Segway's IFA booth made it look so easy, but it wasn't
James Holloway/New Atlas
Segway's dancers demonstrate how good the Drift W1 e-Skates can be... on the right feet
James Holloway/New Atlas
The Drift W1 e-Skates work pretty much like you'd expect a Segway – or any hoverboard – to work, you lean forward to move off and lean back to slow down, stop or move backward
James Holloway/New Atlas
The professional dancers at Segway's IFA booth made it look so easy, but it wasn't
James Holloway/New Atlas
Most visitors to Segway's IFA 2018 booth were able to potter around at a moderate speed within minutes of stepping onto the Drift W1 e-Skates
James Holloway/New Atlas
We found it quite a challenge to step onto these motorized skates
James Holloway/New Atlas
The Dridt W1 e-Skates have a top speed of 12 km/h and a 45 minute per charge battery life
Segway-Ninebot
The Drift W1 e-Skates roll faster than walking and are zippy enough to bring on the pain in a tumble
Segway-Ninebot
The Drift W1 e-Skates have bumpers on the sides
Segway-Ninebot
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Back in June, Segway-Ninebot announced some e-Skates called the Drift W1. These were no inlines or quads, but made use of Segway's self-balancing know-how to put a single chunky wheel in each skate – effectively putting a hoverboard on each foot. The company brought some to IFA 2018 in Berlin, so naturally we had to try them out.

First up, some specs. Segway says that the Drift W1 e-Skates can get up to 12 km/h (7.5 mph), which is faster than walking and zippy enough to bring on the pain in a tumble. Each e-Skate has 291 x 162 x 121 mm (11.4 x 6.3 x 4.7 in) dimensions and tips the scales at 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), and a pair of motorized skates can manage a 10 degree hill climb. They have bumpers on the sides, are weatherproofed to IP54 standard and sport head- and tail-lights for skating after the sun's gone down.

Battery life is given as 45 minutes per ride, which isn't much but should be enough to get you from the train station to the office or have some fun rolling through the park, if you're brave enough. Recharge time is 3 hours.

We found it quite a challenge to step onto these motorized skates
James Holloway/New Atlas

But what are they like to ride? Well, just as we thought back in June, the e-Skates did indeed prove to be something of a challenge. They work pretty much like you'd expect a Segway – or any hoverboard – to work, you lean forward to move off and lean back to slow down, stop or move backward. Sounds easy, right?

"The trick is to relax, but for me that's easier said than done," said our own James Holloway. "Try to step onto these with tension in your legs and you'll wobble – almost oscillate – back and forth fairly comically.

"However, I observed more competent people take their first go and take to it within a few minutes, to the extent that they were able to potter around at a moderate speed. The pro dancers are on another level – forward, backward, round and round in circles (one foot going forward, one backward) – it's impressive to see what these can do on the right feet.

"I was very reasonably asked to get off when Segway wanted to shoot a video of its pros in action, that too was easier said than done. 'Just step off it' sounds good in theory!

"I didn't fall over, but I have only the hand rail to thank for that. But don't let my incompetence put you off. These things are made to look easy within minutes. That said, when the pro dancers were done, I personally didn't feel compelled to get back on."

The Drift W1 e-Skates are available for pre-order now in selected markets for €399 (about US$465) and are available on Indiegogo for the early bird price of $369. Shipping is expected to start early October.

Source: Segway-Ninebot

View gallery - 9 images
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1 comment
christopher
I notice from watching dozens of newbies use my hoverboard, that about 25% of them just "do not get it", and another 25% "get it instantly". I think us humans have some kind of balance gene.