Before you ask, no. I am not a person who practices hiking, and if I tried, the most likely thing is that I would die of back pain at 200 meters. However, it is good to know that there are people out there trying to reduce some negative aspects of hiking, and that brings us to the Hoverglide backpack, developed by Lightning Packs. By using a suspended load system based on pulleys, the Hoverglide "floats" and reduces impact forces by 80 percent, which translates to less pain and less fatigue. Now the big question is: How long does the mechanism last, and how well does it handle dust?
In early 2014, we talked about a project developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology that sought to create a backpack capable of charging the battery of any mobile device with movement. The idea is not that far-fetched, and some designs were even tested in a military training environment, but as our readers have suggested in the past, the most effective way to recover energy is to use a compact solar panel, or simply carry extra batteries. Of course, that becomes more weight, and additional fatigue. Shoulders, back, waist, knees, and legs make their claim sooner or later. So, if the idea is to carry more things in our backpacks (from photography accessories to entire PCs) without ending up worn out in the process, what alternatives are there?
The Hoverglide Solution
Let's make room for Hoverglide, the first backpack that can "float" on your back. This development by Lightning Packs is based on a suspended load system with a double frame and a combination of elastic cords and pulleys, which allow it to absorb a good part of the movement while walking or running. In other words, the Hoverglide rests on two rails, sliding up and down. This free movement would bring two benefits: first, the backpack feels "lighter", and second, it reduces overall stress. The creators of Hoverglide talk about a reduction in impact forces by 80 percent, which we will take with a grain of salt for logical reasons, but we would like to see it in action a bit more.
Questions from the Web
As expected, the web is very interested in the backpack, but it has some questions about the design. What resistance does the mechanical system have? What kind of maintenance does it need? Will parts be available in case of failure? How does it handle dust and sand? Reasonable doubts that will have to be resolved ahead of its next Kickstarter campaign.
