‘Board of Awesomeness’: Electric Skateboard Steered With Motion-Sensing Technology
- Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:40pm by
Liz Klimas
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(Photo: Chaotic Moon Labs)
Yes, “Board of Awesomeness” is the official name of Chaotic Moon Labs new creation: an all-terrain, electric skateboard steered with motion-sensing technology that tops out at 32 mph.
Check out the board in action and see if you agree with its name:
According to Chaotic Moon Labs, the board was created as part of Project Sk8 and includes a Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect and Samsung Windows 8 enabled tablet with full voice control (a version not yet released). The rider speeds up, slows down and steers with hand gestures sensed by Kinect. Kinect sends the info to the tablet, which then controls the skateboard’s motor:
To get started, the user merely has to raise their hands to signal the Kinect device, look for the red dots to appear on their hands, and they are ready to roll. The only movement needed? Pushing the hands forward to speed up and pulling the hands back to slow down or stop. Amazing, we know. And a super fun way for us to show how perceptive computing can change the way we look at user experiences.
Chaotic Moon Labs writes on its website that the “Board of Awesomeness” was created to show how they re-engineered Kinect to use the movement it sees to operate another device beyond a just video game avatar.
[H/T Popular Science]
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Comments (52)
Conservophiliac
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:48pmI was a competetive skateboarder and sponsored by companies for several years or even a couple decades. I will say that this seems like an extremely dangerous board. I would be very hesitant to even ride it because of the speeds it could attain and the lack of real control. Also it would easily get out of control and you are out a several thousand dollar toy.
Report Post »BenInNY
Posted on January 14, 2012 at 12:26pmYeah, hoping for their sake there isn’t a huge amount of play in the trucks. 32mph death-wobble can’t be fun.
Report Post »Wolf
Posted on January 14, 2012 at 8:58pmSo which was it- a couple of years or decades? There’s a big difference. Huge, in fact.
Report Post »jimster
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:57pmWhat we have here is a 4 wheeled Segway.
Report Post »bhelmet
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:54pmAwesome – love toys!!
Report Post »GrumpyBoz
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:06pmWhat happens if you are attacked by angry bees and start swatting them?
Report Post »Enuff Zenuff
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:03pmToo funny!
Report Post »RandyCayne
Posted on January 14, 2012 at 12:18amOr give someone the finger?
Report Post »kedward
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:44amAnother use for game tech. Could be applied to wheelchair control.
Report Post »Phoneguy
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:28amI want one!
Report Post »HisStoryUn
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:01pmI want one too!
Report Post »By the way – I was a “PhoneMan” also! :)
Old Truckers
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:27am“I’d rather drive a truck” – Ricky Nelson
Report Post »Benjamin Abruzzo
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:02amI see the “serious” responses missed the point of the product. it isn’t that you now have an electric skateboard. It’s the application of the software that was designed for video game play.
Now picture this in the use of computer programming, unmanned warfare, microsurgery, and navigation.
Report Post »Wolf
Posted on January 14, 2012 at 9:12pmAnd one more toy that has to be licensed to operate.
Report Post »Whatever happened to toys kids actually played with and got exercise? This totally nullifies the whole object of a skateboard.
LadyLibertykicksASS
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 9:07amWhat it needs is a steering wheel at waist height and a braking lever on the wheel, and a blowup foam suit to encase the rider. Then Obama could outlaw all gas vehicles…..but we’ll all look really dumb! LOL…….!!!!!!
Report Post »STEEEEVE53
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:58amWhat a great idea ! A skateboard that you can fall off of at 32 mph ! By the way, how quickly does it go from 32 to 0 without you falling off ? I see some new federal laws in the works.
Report Post »Mr.Fitnah
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:39amI like things I can fall off of.
Report Post »80mesh
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:36ami wonder what i does when you yell
ooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:40amI spy something GREEN coming down the road for liberals to invest our money in!! Let them ride it to work. I am sure Obama will invest Billions of dollars of his stash on the worthless pile of crap.
How‘s that Chevy Volt workin’ out for you GM?
Report Post »jcannon98188
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 10:20amBecause something is electric is MUST be a GREEN CONSPIRACY from teh GOVERNMENTZZZZZ
God forbid somebody actually make something cool for once? This is not trying to be the next Volt it is simply a cool toy that somebody made. Stop huffing the government-is-totally-evil-and-in-everything-we-do fumes and chill out.
Report Post »smithclar3nc3
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 10:56amAll politic aside it does look like fun. But what would happen if you passed a hot girl and turned to check her out at 32 mph.
Report Post »sane_man
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 3:38pmJCANNON98188 is right. Get over it and let things progress for the better will you? My god…
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:33am.
‘Board of Awesomeness’?
Grind one rail with that thing, and you go from ‘Board of Awesomeness’ to Pile-O-Crap……
Report Post »Charb
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:16amVoice activation? I’d think twice about keeping that feature. You’re skating along, minding your own business, and somebody yells, “Stick that board where the sun don’t shine!” and brother, you’re in a heap of trouble!
Report Post »IronSights
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 9:52amYES! 4.5 Stars, coffee went out the nose.
Report Post »grannyrecipe
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:08amI goes as far as the the time you’re able to hold your hands out in front of yourself.
Report Post »piper60
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 6:48amO.K.! I like this one. How much would it cost?
Report Post »OperationNorthwoods
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 3:07amseems like if you jumped something you would naturally slow the board down when you braced for the landing. Might cause you to fly forward.
Report Post »vtxphantom
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:42amKeep it off the roads. If it is going to be on the streets it will need brake lights and he had better get insurance for his hospital bills.
Report Post »Wyle_E
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:57amJust what I need to catch the road runner…
Report Post »NOT A CRAZY
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:55amI would rather have something powered by fossil fuels.
Report Post »sane_man
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 6:06amUnsurprising. :-|
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:03amI bet I could break my leg on that thing, just like I did on one of the old-fashioned ones, back when I was 16……I could just do it in a really high-tech, nerdy sort of way.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:52pmOh except I forgot just one little trivial thing. When a man tries to raise his children to the letter of God, your God hating “Not really free” society enables his wife to wreck his family. I guess it isn’t worth a second look after all. Because truly doesn’t dwell here.
Report Post »jeffreypgabel
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:37pmI liked the new skate board too.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:47pmI seen this on Back to the Future II, the Hoverboard is next.
Report Post »WeekendAtBernankes
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:56pmThose boards don’t work on water… Unless you’ve got POWER!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:40amMy first thought .. Marty McFly !!!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:40amI hope I got that right … night all .. I’m beat!
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:44pmAh, yes… the Green MoBile!
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