The availability of small and powerful brushless motors has been instrumental in the development of so-called micro-mobility vehicles. But if your commute involves crossing a frozen lake, you might find the options a bit lacking. Fortunately [Simon] from [RCLifeOn] now has a solution for you in the form of motorized ice skates.
[Simon] used 3D printed brackets to mount outrunner brushless motors to the back of a pair of ice-skates. The spinning outer housing of the motor is used as the wheel, with a bunch of studs threaded in it to dig into the ice and provide traction. At first [Simon] tried to use a pair of RC car springs to keep the motor in contact with the ice, but spring force was insufficient for the task, so he ended up rigidly mounting the motors. Getting proper traction on the ice from a standstill was still tricky, so he ended up leaning back to push the motor down, which also had the effect of putting him off balance, limiting the practical acceleration. The most obvious solution for the tracking problem seems to be stronger springs, but we assume he didn’t have any on hand. The batteries are held in a backpack, with cables running down to the skates, and a wireless electric skateboard controller is used for throttle control.
The obvious risk of these skates is of the studded motors inadvertently becoming meat grinders if you fall. It still looks like a fun project, and we wouldn’t mind having a go on those skates.
[Simon] likes messing around with brushless motors, and has done everything from a jet-powered surfboard to a gyro-stabilized RC “motorbike”.
Apetor, from Normay uses a chainsaw hack :-D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5-Bbipc7fo&t=161s
just for fun.
from Norway :-) Sorry.
Now I have a new appreciation for Norwegian’s ..
cool..
FACE PLANT on the way…
It’s ice skating, that’s already in the cards without the motors. The speed doesn’t seem to be topping out any faster than an experienced skater could achieve on their own.
One more small step towards the dystopias we were shown in many 80’s sci-fi movies :D
For some reason I think you’re thinking of this, which was mid 70s and not actually on ice…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVUxK1mNups
Not that we have this issue in sunny Ausreakia but I think the traction problem was solved by the automotive industry years ago. Move the motor to the front of the sKates. Front wheel drive