Another Motail (push stick for inline skating)

Oh heck, that's not an innovation.

We used 'electric motor sticks' to move railroad locomotives through small towns back in the day...

(Yes, I am kidding.)

Good job John.

--Winston

Thanks.

I don't really know about its novelty, but I don't plan to sell them. I just want to develop one that is quiet and light, but goes fast and far enough. Similar units have been around for a while. There is a picture on the Internet, with source unknown, a kid skating with what looks like a converted gas powered weed eater. And there's another guy who seems to think the idea is original with him. And there's another, a converted Razor scooter. Those last two are on YouTube, one (heavy and loud) gas and one (heavy) electric.

Inline street skating is like having wings on your feet. Weighing them down with a motor defeats the purpose. And as far as I know, a propeller is very inefficient relative to a wheel on the ground. So a push stick is it, for now.

I'll look for your YouTube demo. :)

The push stick used in the first video you cited looks quite dangerous because the force is away from the user's center of mass. The second video also looks quite dangerous because of the potential to go 'bark chewing'.

If it wasn't dangerous perhaps it would not be as much fun.

--Winston

There probably is a significant difference between the "Roller Cycle" pushing against his butt, versus holding the push stick with the handle in front like holding onto a hobby horse. Watching that video again today, looks like it would zoom right over him if he fell.

(...)

I haven't seen 'hobby horse' yet. The guy in the first youtube is holding it off to the side. I would, too, considering how the Family Jewels would be affected by collision or hard braking otherwise. 00

A face plant is gonna leave a mark, no matter what, methinks.

--Winston

I'd be considering a backpack motor and a flexible drive, I saw something similar on TV in the mid to late 80s driving a skier.

Do you know what "flexible drive" is supposed to mean? You can't build something without at least a hint of what it should be.

FWIW. I might have been the first to use leverage, forcing the wheel into the ground as it pushes forwards. The guy using the Razor scooter might be using some leverage, but my concept was prior to his, and mine uses leverage aggressively. Using leverage allows for a much lighter device, that allows me to carry the push stick as needed while skating. But. Almost nobody inline street skates nowadays, so novelty is mostly unimportant.

Here is a much safer and more efficient way to power your rollerblades:

And with Landrollers: Paul and Muttley

When was the last time you street skated?

Two wheel inline skates suck. I have a detailed explanation for why three or more inline wheels are a necessary part of inline skating on my picture page under the picture of big front wheel skates "Land Skis".

With only two wheels, your wheels dip into every crack and hole on the sidewalk and in the road. It's not rocket science. Street skating on two wheels just sucks. How badly it sucks is easy to experience, by simply removing the middle wheels on your skates (if you could skate). If you were skating on a 100% smooth surface, two wheel inline skates (or quads/rollerskates) would be okay.

Those things look like they'd absolutely KILL your ankle musculature.

I'll bet it's fun stopping to pooper scoop for your mutt when on wheels. (Far too many people don't do that already.)

-- Energy and persistence alter all things. --Benjamin Franklin

a flexible mechanical power transfer means between the motor and the driven wheel(s)

could be anything, speedo cable, hydraulic, pneumatic, round belt over hinged arms (like old dentist drills used)

But I think the one I saw used the drive mechanism from a sheep shearing machine.

Driving a skier?

Yeah, it was on a locally produced technology show. probably "Fast Forward" (not the australian comedy sketch show)

Two wheel skates suck for street and off-road skating.

No comparison between the two. Those were Rollerblade "Coyotes". LandRollers have cockeyed wheels, but that's not their worst fault. Coyotes have three wheels, that is hugely better than having only two wheels. There is a good reason inline skates have three or more wheels, and it's not just to fill the space between the front and rear wheels. As clearly explained on my picture page, having at least three wheels helps prevent falling into every pit and pothole.

Coyotes are okay for downhill, but pushing is a chore and have a high center of balance. Given a push stick, as mentioned in this thread and on my picture page, they might be okay for street skating. But big front wheel skates (with small trailing wheels) are better, if you can make a pair. I would love to have rollerblade's ability to make skates. I would make something like that coyotes with a big pneumatic front wheel, but with closely spaced small trailing wheels. The only size requirement for the trailing wheels is to provide enough clearance between the boot and the ground. The big front wheel should be light as possible.