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High-Tech $1,000 Skateboard to Leave Angsty Teens Even Angstier

by Warren Riddle on April 2, 2010 at 10:55 AM

(Wait, this isn't an April Fool's joke? Okay, then... ) Skating, perhaps the last true haven for loner, angst-ridden teenagers, is apparently engaged in an epochal battle with white collar (i.e.lab coat) conformity. If defeated, millions of rebellious cool-guy misfits could be left with no tangible way to demonstrate their painful awesomeness to an uncaring world.

According to Crunch Gear, researchers with Japan's Shibaura Institute of Technology have engineered a mechanical, robotic skateboard that can reach dizzying speeds of 6 mph. Riders (as long as they're under 175 pounds) control the board's speed by pressing down with either their front or back foot, and control its direction by leaning to either side of the board.

The heavy, 33-pound contraption is currently in a developmental state, but engineers hope to have it slimmed down and ready for public consumption by 2013. Reportedly, the target cost will be $1,000 (immediately eliminating 99-percent of skaters). In the meantime, we hope that the designers will address the board's design flaws, because, right now, the thing looks like a battery-powered suitcase. [From: Dvice, via: Crunch Gear]

Tags: japan, novelty, OnlyInJapan, robot, RobotSkater, skateboard, skateboarding, top, weird

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