A Paris-based company called Ratleads is releasing a three-wheeled skateboard that can be controlled via cellular phone. The company is calling its creation, Groundsurf, more of a surfboard, because of the way it rides and turns, but the real attraction is in the technology.
An electric motor drives the single front wheel, and you can change the board's speed with a Bluetooth-enabled phone. It will most likely run with touchscreen phones, so riders can simply slide a finger up or down the screen to adjust their speed. Which sounds cool, but you have to wonder how many people will be able to keep their eyes on the road, and not be tempted to check an incoming text while on the fly. Gordon & Smith will sell them here in the US.—Gregory Mone
The board is just one in a long line of lazy man's gadgets, check out the full list here.
138 years of Popular Science at your fingertips.
Each issue has been completely reimagined for your iPad. See our amazing new vision for magazines that goes far beyond the printed page
Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone or Android phone with full articles, images and offline viewing
Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed
Science is reinventing play, from extreme sports to gamification to ridiculous roller coasters to the playgrounds of tomorrow, and this issue is chock full of fun. Also, on a less fun note: Did global warming destroy my hometown?
Yea, what about what happends when you fall and drop your touch screen cell phone that you just paid $400 for.
Yea, I'll take something like that for a little lower price tag. How fast does it go? Sean, keep me up to date on the price of the phone that you don't want to break? Do you even have that kind of loose change?
Hmmm. Perfect for that teenage boy in your house who does nothing but watch tv. Let his fingers do a workout by changing the speed every two hours. Perfect.
yea this is jst stupid its way to lazy duh and is jst killin us. we need to stay active to stsy healthy.