Inline skates can be fun, but like most wheeled contraptions, they’re even better when motorized. With just such a goal in mind, [The Real Life Guys] decided to whip up a set of powered skates, running on Makita power!
To get power to the ground, the third wheel on each skate is modified to have a sprocket attached. A Makita drill is then fitted to the skate, transferring power to the wheel through a 90-degree gearbox and a chain drive. The drill is controlled by removing the trigger from the shell and hooking it up with an extended cable.
It’s a lairy setup that probably takes serious practice to use effectively, but does allow for fancy tricks like differential steering if you really want to show off. It’s a great example of using a powerdrill as an all-inclusive motion setup, with the battery, motor and drivetrain already integrated in a neat, tidy package. It’s not the first time we’ve seen a powered set of ‘skates, either! Video after the break.
[Thanks to Itay for the tip!]
Powered wheels on skates is a dream of mine, though less for propulsion and more for braking.
I think the most efficient approach to power would be a backpack containing an air compressor with tubes running down to the skates wheels which would be equipped with light weight gears/air paddles.
This reminded me of a project that Steve Ciarcia wrote way back in 1981 about building a powered base using electric screwdrivers.
https://archive.org/details/BYTE_Vol_06-05_1981-05_Software_Piracy/page/n67
There is an idea for Hack a Day are story on Steve Ciarcia and his Column in Byte followed by him starting his own magazine that is still around today Circuit Cellar
I loved those magazines. The days before internet…
I want to know more about the copy machine that was used to make the second skate. Is it available on Amazon?
– Thomas
Careful with that, author crawled into it by accident and look at the results at the end of the video.
lol, thanks for starting my day with a huge grin.
Just like in Alita: Battle Angel!
Jamie Hyneman did this long ago. https://youtu.be/YN8AOrDwH54
I have been thinking about building something like this but with inhub motors and having the batteries and motor controllers in pack hanging off the back of the skates.
hackers before hoes
build high power EVs for your own personal enjoyment