WACONIA, Minn. - The Minnesota man who invented rollerblades just rolled out a new invention.
He let people take a test ride Saturday on the SkyRide.
Inventor Scott Olson of Waconia said, "We got rollerblade wheels up in the track. We got rollerblade wheels in the drive system that you can't see."
Yes, his wheels continue to spin.
His new company, SkyRide Technology, is now marketing SkyRide. Olson has invented an elevated track and hanging from it is either a SkyRower or SkyBike, propelled by the person riding it.
Olson said, "So the idea is to have different types of machines, just like you would at a health club, but being on a fixed track and being able to go out any time of the day or nighttime, any kind of weather, where you can be out using it. We're out here in the rain, the snow."
Those who try it love it.
Dawn Twenge of Excelsior came out to try it. She said, "It was so much fun it would be great to do it every day."
Depending on your speed you can get a good workout in five minutes up to a half hour but there are other applications besides exercise.
SkyRide Technology president and CEO Adam Meyer said "The ski resort [market] is the main market that we're starting in. It's going to be a year round thrill ride. We're going to have these tracks racing down the mountain, going at high speeds, banking around turns and really having a fun time going down the mountain."
And because it's human propelled, riders don't just have to rely on gravity. You can go up inclines as well. The SkyRide could soon solve transportation issues too. SkyRide Technology is in talks to connect a hospital in Washington State to a nearby medical school.
Meyer said, "They're talking about a pedestrian bridge that's about 15-million dollar project. Well we can get all those same people back and forth for much less than that riding this and much quicker as well."
The track is SkyRide's foundation. The vehicles can be adapted to almost any rider's needs, making it good for rehabilitation or for exercise for those with physical challenges.
Olson said, "It's going to accommodate a lot of people with special needs whether paraplegic, single leg amputee, visually impaired."
Of course there's the obvious use too, training for rowers or cyclists.
Olson said, "You're kind of seeing the beginning of it but it's going to take on its own life."
Olson said the SkyRide Technology system he has set up on his property, which is about the size of a hockey rink, costs between 75 to 100-thousand dollars.
He said there's a customer in Dubai looking to set up a track that is miles long.
Olson is welcoming anyone to come out and try the SkyRower or SkyBike.
To contact him via phone or email, just click on the SkyRide Technology link at the top of this story.
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