“The world’s fastest shoes” are a TikTok sensation that can make wearers reach walking speeds of up to seven miles per hour, but trying them out for yourself will run you $1,400.
Shift Robotics is the Pittsburgh-based startup behind the shoes, dubbed the Moonwalkers.
In a TikTok video posted by Shift earlier this year, founder and CEO Xunjie Zhang describes the wearable mobility device, saying it “allows you to walk at the speed of the run.”
“An average human walks about three miles — or probably slightly under three miles — per hour. But with Moonwalkers, you’d be able to go seven miles per hour,” Zhang said in the TikTok, which was posted in January and has since garnered more than 24.9 million views.
That’s a 250% increase in walking speed, and it works by simply strapping the Moonwalkers over your walking shoes.
“And then you just start walking,” Zhang said, describing how the Moonwalkers’ eight-wheel, artificial intelligence-powered technology works with the user’s speed. “The faster you walk, the faster you go,” he added.
It’s all part of an intuitive control system that “moves only when you do,” according to Shift Robotics’ website.
The shoes are battery powered and take about 90 minutes to fully charge before allowing your stride to increase in speed by 2.5 times.
Moonwalkers are available for pre-order on Shift’s website for $1,399.99. To secure a pair, a refundable $50 deposit is required, and shipping is only available within the US.
Since catching the attention of millions on TikTok with its explainer video, Shift has posted a slew of informational follow-up videos answering questions and showing how the wearable AI tech works.
Shift’s TikTok page now also has videos about how to turn the shoes on and off, how to come to a stop, and how Moonwalkers work when walking downhill.
To answer users’ questions, Zhang shared that the shoes are 4.2 lbs each, and claimed that they have a break distance of about two feet on a dry road.
When going downhill, the Moonwalkers have regenerating breaking technology where they brake while charging themselves.
In another TikTok posted last week, Shift shared that “we are officially in production and moving our headquarters to Austin, Texas!”
It’s unclear when the Moonwalkers will be shipped out to those on the pre-order list. Shift didn’t immediately respond to noti.group’s request for comment.
According to Kickstarter, the idea for the shoes came when Zhang was nearly hit by a car while riding a scooter to work.
Zhang, who graduated from Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute, then teamed up with engineers, roboticists and sneaker designers in an effort to “pack everything you find in an electric vehicle” into the shoe, he said.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
