Hello everyone! I would like to take the time to go over everything that seems possible today. I believe the first thing we can all agree on is the original design from the anime and/or manga is out, yes? Not only is it theoretically impossible with current technology, but it's full of holes and hardly detailed. Agree? Moving on!
Now, Tenth of November, 2008, smam suggested a load cell. While the concept is there, it doesn't produce enough signal without an amplifier. Since an amplifier would take up extra space, this'll be low on the list. This applies to any other type of weight sensing pad. On it's own, it can't be expected to drive the AT by itself.
CaptainPanic pointed out some very factual information on the eleventh of Febuary, 2009. Even the smallest engines are quite large compared to a roller skate, and you can't abandon ship mid-way. Now, the two problems do pose a threat. The latter can be fixed by careful consideration by both the designer and the user. The user, who should be moderately flexible and wielding a notable amount of strength, should, at speeds at or below 20-30 mph, be able to manually fix any slight differences in speed between the ATs. The former, on the other hand, requires some modification and compromise. Since it is physically impossible to cram an engine into a wheel, we're going to search for a few more ideas.
On the tenth of April, 2009, Redjakal made a comment about syncing the ATs on each foot. While that may seem like a good idea, there is some merit to the anime/manga. You would have to turn while your wheels are tilted. This is very bad for skates such as these. The wieght distrubution on these skates should, at all times, remain centered on the skate. At no point should you be turned sideways. Therefore, the correct way to turn is in an upright position, where one skate is moving in a wide turn or both in opposite directions in a rotation. Of course, this is merely my own thought and speculation on the matter. This may or may not be entirely factual, as I have not done the math.
On the twentyfourth of April, 2009, Captainpanic showed another flaw in this idea(good for you for safety emphasis). The dead man's switch. The dead man's switch would stop the motors in case pressure was released and the weight is set back to, or close enough to, zero. While this also seems like a good idea, it has one fatal flaw itself. You can not jump. Ever. Landing will immediately result in a lot of pain, considering the lag time of electronics. Even though short, you only have to be pushed a little bit, say, with the force of your body going at 10-20 mph with your feet no longer moving with you across the floor, and if this happened even for a few milliseconds, could result in a huge loss of balance and a giant hospital bill. The reason that I see no need to implement it though, is because if one were to fall and one's ATs were to no longer detect pressure, then doesn't that mean that said feet are no longer on the floor? Plus, how are you going to actually skate, when both feet must constantly touch the floor? While this would not be true for all cases, it would be for very many. Once again though, this is my own thoughts and speculation.
Tenshi, on the twentysecond of May, 2009, suggested that two pole DC electric motors be used. Unfortunately, as he states, it would very quickly drain power. This means, since there is a large emphasis on energy conservation, that this is not a heavily wieghted idea.
Sk8tergear, on the twentynineth of July, 2009. . . I'm not even going to go over it, just, wind turbines? Really?
Now Moseshatch sounds like he has done some testing, but as I have no proof of that available, I can't take it for factual evidence, can I? On the twentyfirst of July, 2009, he states that the small air cushion couldn't prevent cracked motors in the wheels. Eight hours later, he states the the motors were no longer in the wheels. Very good idea! These motors should not be in the wheels. Although, to be fair, Moseshatch did claim to be sponsered by alchemy, two years ago. Nothing has been posted about success for two years, so maybe his design wasn't so successful?
Captainpanic, again, on the twentyfirst of May, 2010, noted that it is a bad idea to have the back wheel motorized. This should be taken into account. Motorize th front wheel!
Spitfire, on the twentynineth of July, 2010, suggested an inverted electric motor, but only to satisfy the need to match the anime. Also not very high on the list.
zerokite, on the first of December, 2010, notes that even in the anime, the wheels are large. This is note worthy!
Eyvind, on the twentynineth of March, 2011, very sarcastically, did the math for what is needed for the average, all motor powered stock AT. That is quite a bit of force for a small engine. This is also very important. Completely motorized ATs are not plausible. Boogieman, on the twentyfifth of April, 2011, while not very helpfully, stated something very necessary for continuation. Video of proof of concept. For those who build prototypes, we want videos.
Twintale, on the sixteenth of January, 2012, makes a very long, very logical post. Skating technique, muscle, and skill, are, more than anything, part of this design. An anti-locking mechanism. This was my thoughts when i first read about the dead man's switch. You want one skate to be able to carry the other. That way, you don't need things like synced ATs. You MUST, and this is an absolute MUST, be able to maintain, and brake, at high speeds, without motors. Motors or not, if you can't stop, don't start. The ATs' batteries should also last for quite a bit. Not only that, but it would be nice to have an extra pair that would charge before the current runs out. That way, you can use the skates continually without having to wait for it to charge, as long as you leave the other pair charging on the side. It would also be nice if the could strap in to say, the calf? Easy detachment, easy reattatchment, and it takes a very similar motion to tying your shoes. A battery-saving idea. use it to speed up your skates, not move them for you. They should be designed to make you move faster, not make you move. And finally, aestetics. Make it look good people! Nobody wants a shoe that looks like a motorized brick with wheels.
Captainpanic to the rescue, once again! On the twentythird of January, 2012, he wants to point us "in the right direction (or, rather, point you all away from wrong directions)." His message, take advice! This is not simply digital, this is analog baby! There will be all kinds of signals of different power coursing though your AT, and if you don't understand how it works or what it means, then learn before you make a fool of yourself!
On the third of Febuary, 2012, Twintale notes something important. We do not need that much horsepower! Less money, smaller size, better efficiency! That should be the aim. Pretend we have a budget. the finished project should be under 2,000. Total. We don't want to have to buy a 3,000 dollar battery, nor spend another 2,000 on motors, on top of a 1,000 electronics parts list, then assemble it.
Device, on the seventh of Febuary, 2012, tosses in the idea of glove controls and wristwatch information. While I disagree with the glove controls because 1. I just hate gloves, 2. these would be counter-intuitive, and 3. it uses external devices, no longer making it skates only. Unforetunately, the last one might not be avoidable. I do like the idea of the wrist-watch though. Keep track of your speed, battery, and maybe estimate time left on the skates. Would really be helpful, just so your ATs don't run out on you in the middle of a run. He also mentions the idea of charging while coasting. Not only would the re-routing of power help with brakes, but it would also mean you could theoretically charge your ATs by using them as normal skates. Amazing! Unfortunately, as he states a day later, it would be impractical. The mechanics behind it are too complicated to have fit in an oversized shoe.
On the fourteenth of January, 2013, Twintale comments on why external devices may be necessary. To brake by leaning backwards is pretty risky. trying to shift the weight on your feet to the back of your heel isn't so great an idea either. If you were to try that on normal skates, you'd fall backwards pretty quickly. If you were to try on motorized skates going 20+ mph, you'd possibly die. Having a few buttons at the hip wouldn't be so bad though. Hands free when not in use, doesn't take up too much space, and you don't have to worry about accidentally setting it off. Atleast, as long as you're not hip bumping anything. Also, you're far less likely to fall on it. You're far more likely to fall on your butt, face, and in some cases, your head. He also notes Lithium Polymer Batteries. Form fitting, and lightweight, good for any design. Twintale brings up two ideas, and he also gets it to fall WAY under budget at $250. These ideas are on the top of the list.
Krome X Wong, on the twentysecond of July, 2013, posted a video of a prototype AT. While it did work, he had to hold quite a large battery to get him moving. It also didn't seem to have many of the necessary functions, such as stopping, slowing, speeding, or use as actual skates. Plus the casing! But that was a very nice attempt.
UND3ADSODA mentions on the nineteenth of August, 2013, that people will be attempting to make large jumps regularly. While 20 feet may be a stretch, there will be some VERY high jumps. As such, the cushions must not only be fantastic, but some of the force will have to be transferred to the user. Not only does this prevent attempts for rediculously high jumps because they couldn't feel anything from 10 feet, it reduces stress on the AT. After a certain amount of pressure, if it directed some of the force to the wearer, it would greatly increase longetivity within the AT.
Krome X Wong states, on the fifth of October, 2013, ATs travel faster than cars. That is a no-no. If we want this to actually be legally usable, there will have to be limitations on it. Ikki from Air Gear and others only travel so fast because they broke through the coding in the AT and are doing so illegally. We can't have that. . . Yet. All of the ideas that have been listed here were what I believed to be worth mentioning for one of two reasons. They are either GOOD and we should either use it or follow it's example, or BAD and we should all stay away from that subject. Especially air powered turbines. Do not attempt anything with air powered turbines.
My own ideas were to have the battery located higher up, maybe behind, under the calf, and be easibly seperable from the rest of the skate, with a little bit of work. We don't want it to be falling off, though. A nice, flexible battery would be great for this, and it would fit into a specified slot on the AT, where skates have little functionality. How about adding some there? Especially in that area, betteries can be MUCH bigger. A hip mounted device to control speed would be nice too. While it takes away from the image of an AT, it's MUCH safer. While speed shouldn't entirely be controlled by that little device, you should be able to slow down, reverse, and power down your ATs so they can be used like normal skates. Legal documents. Even if the idea is not our own, nor would we be able to claim complete rights to it, we must still be responsible for the use and regulations for these kinds of devices. You would NOT be able to ride these on a freeway. Even if you move at the speed of traffic, and you could theoretically ride these for several days, it's a no. Don't go that fast on a street, sidewalk, or public areas. We can't have the fuzz shut us down because we went a bit too fast, right? And finally, user dependant AT capabilities. While I may have not come up with the idea of having the user's ability determine the max speed of an AT, this is the first post I've seen regarding over-all capabilities. Stress from the AT should be put on the user. Not ALL of it, but a percentage. Not only is this more realistic, but it prevents idiots(and trust me, if this becomes a product, many will use it. Notably those who act like they're on Jackass) from trying something far beyond their capability. The AT should also have functionality as normal skates. Because they are, after all, skates.
Thank you if you have stayed with me during this entire post, feel free to make any suggestions, and PLEASE, let's start putting together an entire concept of what this is going to look like.
