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The two-wheeled "hoverboard" trend appears to be over, at least in NYC. Last year they were a common sight on sidewalks here, but the whole spontaneously-bursting-into-flames thing appears to have hurt sales, and I haven't seen one in months. Perhaps the MovPak will be the next trend in alternative personal transportation:
The 17-pound MovPak will carry a 240-pound person, or at least that's what the developers recommend as the maximum weight capacity. The range is 10 miles, presumably helped along by the regenerative braking. The lithium-ion batteries reach full charge with two hours of plug-in time.
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Enter a caption (optional)Seventeen pounds sounds like a lot to carry on your back before you've even loaded it (unless you're one of these guys), so it's clever that they've designed it to be rolled around like a carry-on bag. The developers are claiming that the bag has ample storage space alongside the board and motor…
Enter a caption (optional)…though the amount of call-outs they're using does make you feel a bit suspicious, like a blind date reciting their entire resume:
Enter a caption (optional)Nevertheless, 150-plus IndieGogo backers have no doubt that this is a good solution, and at press time they'd received $103,510 in funding on a $50,000 goal. The $599 object is projected to ship in September of this year, and there's still a month left to pledge.
(One caveat: The MovPak was developed in sunny Florida, and those of you that live in Oregon are S.O.L.; read the fine print and you'll see the MovPak cannot be ridden in rain or where there is water on the ground.)
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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The MovPak: The Backpack That Carries You
I thought that this was something fun and different than a folding bike, until it said "... read the fine print and you'll see the MovPak cannot be ridden in rain or where there is water on the ground."
If only they'd stick with just the bag/powered board concept, I'd probably get one. I don't need all the extra "smart" features. But yes, I think a bike will do just fine. 17 pounds? That's just about as heavy as a bike.
think i will stick with my bike ...