Designed by Paris-based company, Ratleads, GroundSurf is a three-wheeled board that you ride on the streets, is powered by an electric motor and has its speed controlled through a Bluetooth enabled cellular phone. So it’s an electric skateboard, right?
Wrong! Stephane Pelletier of Ratleads says, "First of all, it’s a surfboard, not a skateboard – the surf feeling, but on the ground. It’s been tested and developed with professional surfers. The back is a very specific truck that moves in different dimensional ways. Compared to a skateboard, it’s not moving the same way at all. You really have to try it to believe it."
Behind the single front wheel is an aluminum block with a battery and on some models, a Bluetooth receiver, which was designed by the German based Bluetooth hardware developer, Stollman. The speed can be controlled via a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. If you want to go faster, slide a finger up the screen. To slow down, slide your finger down. Ratleads will offer downloadable software for HTC touch-screen phones initially.
The first available model of the GroundSurf has sensor pads that cause the board to accelerate or brake depending on whether a rider leans forward or backward. Initial availability is from California-based surfboard manufacturer Gordon & Smith and will retail for $1,770-$2,040.
This seems like a novel idea from Ratleads, but they have set high goals for GroundSurf. They hope to sell 10,000 boards in the coming year. Will you buy one?
Original article written by Mike Sharsky in SIGnature Magazine
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