Moonwalker moto shoes learn your gait for ultimate wheeling up to 7mph

Shift Robotics' Moonwalkers Dusk are the lightest motorized shoes the company has built, and it's the first model sized to the wearer's shoe, so no more feeling like you borrowed them from someone else. They glow as you go, and an upgraded AI learns your stride in about 10 steps.

Moonwalkers began in 2022 as a Kickstarter project from Shift Robotics, a Carnegie Mellon spinoff. The first versions were strap-on, eight-wheel motorized skates that pushed a walker's pace to 7 mph (11 km/h). Machine-learning algorithms examined the wearer's gait and adjusted wheel speed to suit.

A 10-wheel commercial version followed, and the business-focused X variant arrived at CES 2024 with four powered and two unpowered wheels. That same layout was used on the Aero model that came after. It added a quieter 350-W motor and a flexing toeplate, and brought in thermal and regenerative management. It kept the 7-mph top speed and a range of 6 to 7 miles (10 to 11 km).

Now Dusk takes the same formula further. The brains are a next-generation gait model called S.E.N.S.A., short for Stable, Efficient, Natural, Synchronized, and Adaptive. It uses "intent recognition," which simply means the shoes interpret how you're moving and adjust their assistance in real time. A detector is able to distinguish between walking, running, and jumping, while slope estimation notices changes in grade and tweaks assistance accordingly.

A redesigned Shift app, due in late October, adds a second layer of analysis that learns how well and how evenly you move. It reports five gait signals: speed reserve, propulsion efficiency, push-off power, force symmetry, and step-timing rhythm.

The hardware got its own overhaul too. A two-dimensional living hinge, a flexing joint instead of a rigid pivot, follows the natural roll of the foot. Tabless battery cells, a split-path battery management system and a motor vent that lets air flow through are meant to double continuous power delivery. In internal testing, the company says the range held steady in 95 °F (35 °C) summer heat and 65 °F (18 °C) fall evenings.

The LED line glows on the ground at the pace of your movement. You can swipe the left foot for indoor mode or the right for shift mode, no phone needed. Straps, exterior plastics and wheel rims swap without tools, and wheels change in about five minutes with hex keys.

Dusk comes in three sizes, and the weight climbs with the shoe. The Small tips the scales at 3.5 lb (1.60 kg) per foot, the Medium at 3.8 lb (1.73 kg) and the Large at 4.2 lb (1.95 kg). Small suits US men's 4 to 6 and women's 5 to 8, Medium covers men's 6 to 9 and women's 8 to 10, and Large handles men's 9 to 13 and women's 10 to 14. Every size tops out at 7 mph (11 km/h), and riders can weigh up to 220 lb (100 kg).

Topping up the battery takes 90 minutes, according to Shift Robotics, and an IP54 rating means the shoes shrug off splashes but would not enjoy a swim. They come in three finishes – cedar, heliotrope, and obsidian – so your feet get to pick a personality. The price of walking at a jogger's pace without breaking a sweat? US$1,199, the same as Aero's launch price.

Product page: Moonwalkers Dusk