Written by | Little Devil
Among all the travel tools that can be electrified, inline skates may be the last choice for many people, after all, roller skating is really difficult to learn, compared to other personal travel tools have a higher risk of injury, but it also has the advantages of high portability and high mobility that most personal travel tools do not have.
Considering that there are "millions" of roller skaters around the world who want the opportunity to wear a pair of roller skates to work and commute, and who don't get to their destination sweaty or have to change shoes, AtmosGear, a French start-up brand founded in 2018, decided to try to meet the needs of these people.
The company spent four years creating an inline electric skate for the daily commute that everyone could use, and named it directly after the company name, AtmosGear.
Strictly speaking, the AtmosGear is not a standalone roller skate, it is actually a lower shoe frame that can be compatible with any type of upper shoe. But if you don't have to worry about it, you can also order a complete set including shoes directly from AtmosGear, and they will provide a pair of FR1 shoes under the French FRSkates brand.
The difference between the lower shoe frame of the AtmosGear and the ordinary roller shoe is that it has a small motor placed in each roller, but considering that these motors have added extra weight to the shoe, and then putting the battery on the shoe will make it as heavy as a brick and affect the action, so the company uses an external power supply to equip the rider with a battery bodypack, so that the rider can use external wires to power the skates when the electric system needs to work.
The complete kit also includes a remote control with options such as acceleration, braking and full stop. AtmosGear has not yet announced specifications for the motor and battery, saying only that its motor is integrated directly into the 110mm rollers and "has enough torque to climb 20° slopes or support 100kg of weight." ”
Without including the battery, the total weight of these electric roller skates is 1 kg, which is only 800 grams heavier than ordinary roller skates. When not wearing roller skates, the belt pack can also be used as a regular belt bag, and the battery and connectors in this set can be removed at any time, which is very convenient to carry around.
As we said earlier, when a rider wants to rollerblad, he needs to connect the shoe rack to the battery, that is, a wire through his entire leg. In order to make the user feel more comfortable, AtmosGear has prepared a close-fitting thigh strap for the user, which makes it easy to hide the wire in the pants.
The electric roller skate provides two riding modes, one is a fully maneuverable mode, just like an electric scooter, the rider does not need additional force at all except to ensure his own balance, and the power of the roller skate is completely provided by the battery; The other is similar to the pedal assist of an electric bicycle, that is, the gliding still depends on its own legs and feet, but the electric system will serve as an assist so that the user will not waste too much physical energy.
Assist mode is also known as smart mode because it relies on the rider's own movements to control the motor. Just like an e-bike with a torque or rhythm sensor, the sensor signals the motor to start when the pedal is pressed, and on the AtmosGear, the sensor signals the motor to rotate when rollerblading.
This mode will be provided through over-the-air OTA, and users can upgrade to this mode for free through the relevant mobile app. Personally, I feel that this smart mode is very suitable for long-distance travel, with limited power support, combined with public transportation such as trains and subways, roller skating riders can travel long distances with almost no physical effort.
The AtmosGear also has a third mode, even if it is not given an appropriate mode name by the company, which is purely "manual" mode, in which case the user will glide without any motor assistance. This mode is more suitable for those who want to exercise at the right time, or when the battery is completely drained, when the rider is exactly the same as rollerblading in a pair of regular roller skates.
Speaking of which, we have to introduce what kind of convenience the electric system can bring to users. Officials said that electric roller skates can support a cruising range of 15.5 kilometers on a single charge, and their maximum speed can reach 25km/h. Of course, it's not like an e-bike that can unlock higher speeds in some "gray" way.
However, AtmosGear did build a special pair of AtmosGear for world skating champion Diako Diaby, which can reach a top speed of 40km/h, but its sole purpose is to be used as a test.
Diako is one of three professional skaters capable of completing the Flat900 jump, so perhaps it's not a good idea for the average commuter to go faster than Diako in a pair of electric inline skates.
As for the handling performance of this roller skate? According to AtmosGear, the development of the skate took four years, during which time the product was tested by professional athletes and more than 2,000 roller skaters, who also took the product to the 24HduMans roller skating marathon for durability testing.
The conclusion is that this electric roller skate has exactly the same handling as ordinary roller skates, and it is very easy to handle with both electric and manual gliding.
In terms of price, due to the addition of an electric power system, the price of AtmosGear is naturally much more expensive than ordinary roller skates, its specific price is 550 euros, note that this pricing only includes some accessories such as roller skate frame and battery, and does not include upper shoes.
AtmosGear is also relatively aware of the price positioning of this product, so its early sales target is very cautious, only hoping to sell 200 pairs of shoes by May this year, and this is only when they have already received 160 pre-orders.
With the subsequent market acceptance of this product, the company hopes to sell 100,000 pairs of electric roller skates worldwide by 2026. Of course, if the market for electric roller shoes is really so optimistic, it is also possible to create a new sport in the future. 【END】