CES 2015: Gadget doubles walking speed by improving shoes

Travelator-inspired gadgets let you walk twice as fast as normal, but are still being worked on

Rollkers, a transportation accessory that increases a person's average walking rate up to 7 miles per hour, is seen in use on January 4, 2014 (Getty Images)

A new gadget hopes to be able to make you walk faster using a technology.

The Rollkers are a pair of shoe attachments that are similar to skates but have motorised wheels that help people walk at up to 7 miles per hour, twice the normal walking speed, while walking as usual.

Chief executive Paul Chavand said the travelators found in airports are what initially inspired the idea, and now he is showcasing a prototype of the product, which he hopes to bring to market towards the end of 2015.

"Rollkers were invented to help pedestrians in the cities, and I think it was useful for them to have some assistance," he said, adding that part of the design was also inspired by the fact that he is a "big kid" who loved the ideal of travelators.

"Rollkers are a device - not a skate - but a device with wheels that you go walking normally with, and you get twice the speed of walking."

Paul Chavand displays the prototype Rollkers transportation device he invented during a press event (Getty Images)

The attachments can be applied to any shoe due to the adjustability of the clips, and Rollkers say the final product will also come with a high performance battery.

The Dijon-based firm have said they believe the overcrowding on public transport as commuters look to save time is one of the main reasons they believe Rollkers could take off.

The product has already made an impact in Europe, having previously won the silver medal in the transport category at the 2013 Inventions in Geneva Exhibition.

When asked how it feels to use the device, Mr Chavand admitted that at the moment Rollkers are too heavy, which is why the company is continuing to wait before licensing the product and preparing it for sale.

Additional reporting by Press Association