New thread for things that probably aren't worth their own thread but I need to share for one reason or another. I don't know what to think about this new invention. Is it genius? Is it just weird? Is it both? Is it pointless? Is it some weird combination of all of those questions and more? I may need more time to process it.

These 'Moonwalker' Shoes Let You Walk at the Sped of Your Run

This summer, a pair of strap-on shoes will be available that allow you to walk at the speed of a run.

Aptly titled, “Moonwalkers” a set of eight wheels per shoe move your feet as if you were on a moving walkway at an airport.

The obvious question is, ‘how is that different from a rollerskate?’ with the answer being that the wheels move only when you do, and only when you reach a regular walking stride.

On stairs, entering or exiting public transit, or in crowded areas, the wheels won’t move a millimeter.

Designed by an American tech start-up called Shift Robotics, they accelerate normal walking pace to around 6.8 mph, around the clip of a comfortable run. Their crack team from the Carnegie Mellon Institute consisted of jet propulsion engineers, race car technicians, and running shoe designers.

“I asked myself why I never walked to work – and it’s not just me, a lot of people don’t rely on walking, which is surprising considering it’s much safer, easier and more convenient, plus it’s better for the environment,” Zhang Xunjie, founder of Shift Robotics, said in a statement.
There's a video that shows them in action. I may need to watch it when I can listen to it as well. Maybe there's a little more in that to help me grasp this as a whole.