If you enjoy the simple pleasure of walking but wish it got you from A to B as quickly as cycling then the Walking Bicycle may be your dream machine. The Walking Bicycle combines the two activities into one electric-assisted whole, allowing you to propel yourself forward at speed simply by putting one foot in front of the other.
- The team behind the Walking Bicycle – the Walking Bicycle Club – wanted to create a machine that's faster than walking but easier to ride than a bicycle. The result is a kind of elliptical cross trainer on wheels that is capable of speeds up to 24 km/h (15 mph) thanks to an electric motor. The motor can be used to assist your efforts at all times or initiated just for uphill climbs.
The electric motor uses a lithium-ion battery that's said to be good for 20 km (12 mi) on a single two-hour charge. The Walking Bicycle is 120 cm (47 in) long and 60 cm (24 in) wide, and weighs in at 36.3 kg (80 lbs). It's sized in order to qualify as a bicycle on Japanese roads, but the laws in other countries may differ. Its small size also means it can fit inside a regular elevator and be stored in an apartment.
The Walking Bicycle follows in the footsteps of conveyance such as the ElliptiGO 3C and the Me-Mover. Of course, walking gets you from A to B too, but without the aid of wheels and (in this case) an electric motor, it takes longer to actually get anywhere.
The Walking Bicycle is set to go on sale in October 2014 priced at JPY200,000 (US$2,000). The promo video below shows the Walking Bicycle from several different angles, and offers a (brief) look at it in action.
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