• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Company creates 'world's fastest shoes' after creator was nearly hit by a car

Home> Community

Updated 17:09 31 Oct 2022 GMTPublished 17:10 31 Oct 2022 GMT

Company creates 'world's fastest shoes' after creator was nearly hit by a car

Xunjie Zhang, founder and CEO of Shift Robotics, was scootering when he was almost hit by a car which led to the creation of Moonwalkers.

Gregory Robinson

Gregory Robinson

Everyone knows the pain of getting stuck behind a slow walker, but now a tech company might have created a gadget which will let you overtake everyone.

Shift Robotics, an American robotics and engineering company, unveiled its battery-powered 'Moonwalkers', which help people ‘walk at the speed of a run’. The ‘fast, safe and nimble’ enhanced mobility device help increase walking speed, with a reported top speed of 7mph.

The story of how the shoes came to be is mind-blowing in itself. It all started when Xunjie Zhang, founder and CEO of Shift Robotics, was scootering to work five years ago when he almost got hit by a car.

Advert

He thankfully survived to tell the tale and and asked himself why he never walked the mile-long journey to work. He then created what is reportedly the world’s fastest shoe, which isn't a bad outcome at all. Zhang made it his mission to ‘enhance walking instead of replacing it’.

He eventually teamed up with a group of ‘really talented roboticists, race car engineers and sneaker designers’ after graduating from the Carnegie Mellon's Robotic Institute to help make his concept of packing ‘everything you find in a Tesla’ into shoes.

Zhang explained there’s no need to ‘balance’ with the shoes, and all you have to do in order to walk faster is simply a case of walking faster to accelerate and walking slower to decelerate.

Owners of the shoe can climb stairs with ease by lifting their heel to activate the ‘lock mode’ to avoid zooming up a staircase, which would surely be rather embarrassing.

Advert

Moonwalkers are powered by artificial intelligence which will help busy workers and impatient commuters have a 250 percent increase in their walking speed. Travelling through the Tube network will be a doddle. Their average range is 6.5 miles and you can juice them via a USB-c charger.

The Moonwalkers.
@shiftrobotics/Instagram.

In a promotional video, the company said: “Moonwalkers start in lock mode, where our electronic brake fully locks the wheels.

"To enter shift mode, where you walk at the speed of a run, lift your right heel in the air and rotate it clockwise towards your left leg while keeping your toe on the ground.

Advert

"To go back into lock mode, lift your right heel in the air and then back down to the earth as usual. Now you are ready for stairs, buses, trains, or anywhere else where you do not want to walk at the speed of a run."

Sounds fairly easy.

Reddit users had a mixed response to the Moonwalkers, with some people dubbing them ‘rollerblades’ – which the company has clarified they are definitely not, meanwhile others said the shoes could help people with mobility issues.

The shoes are set to go on sale in April.
@shiftrobotics/Instagram.

Advert

“That’s just rollerblading with extra steps,” one unimpressed Reddit account retorted after watching a promotional clip.

“I disagree,” another person replied. “Elderly people, people with balance issues and other mobility issues would really benefit from these. I think it’s genius.”

“Heelys are like $60,” someone else quipped. However, an intrigued Reddit user wrote: “For all the shorties who can't keep up with their tall partners gait speed."

Moonwalkers are expected to be priced at $1,399 (£1,213) when they go on sale in April 2023.

Advert

However, American customers can get the shoes for a lower price by pledging to Shift Robotics’ Kickstarter.

By pledging at lease $1,099 you can be part of the ‘Super Early Adopter Special’ which grants customers a 21 percent discount but it is limited to 150 pairs.

One thing's for sure - walking the dog will be a lot more fun.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]

Featured Image Credit: @shiftrobotics/Instagram

Topics: Technology, World News

Gregory Robinson
Gregory Robinson

Gregory is a journalist for UNILAD. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, he has worked for both print and online publications and is particularly interested in TV, (pop) music and lifestyle. He loves Madonna, teen dramas from the '90s and prefers tea over coffee.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
3 days ago
5 days ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Family awarded $20,000,000 after girl, 11, died when hospital made fatal mistake

    11-year-old Ava Wilson died in October 2020, despite being in remission from cancer

    Community
  • 9 hours ago

    Siblings claim sister died due to mother's cancer 'conspiracy theories' as they speak out with heartbreaking message

    Gabriel and Sebastian Shemirani are speaking out in the hope of saving lives

    Community
  • 3 days ago

    People terrified after spotting 'unsettling' detail in woman's mukbang video

    The AI-generated video has gone viral after being shared on Twitter

    Community
  • 5 days ago

    People are losing their minds at 'job benefit' Americans find normal but everyone else finds disturbing

    Many countries offer the 'benefit' for free whether someone has a job or not

    Community
  • Hilarious video shows bystanders' shock at test of world's fastest bullet train that travels at 310mph
  • Company creates ‘human washing machine’ that will clean you in 15 minute wash and dry cycle
  • Phone company creates genius ‘elderly grandmother’ AI tool to waste scammer’s time
  • Man was awarded $21,500,000 after being hit by a sliding door