4 ms·

It is a bit sad that the article doesn't explain what the motion would feel like similar to. Would it be like walking stairs?

• tech_ken 3y ago
  I don't think they have a functional prototype, so probably difficult to predict a qualitative comparison to other types of motion. Honestly my guess is that it's not directly comparable to anything else really, because you typically don't have to output energy during the "off-phase" of walking. Maybe like having a rubber band around the bottom of your foot which you're also holding in your hand?
• ramses0 3y ago
  In the "clipped to cycling pedals" example, the description I was recommended to aim for was "rolling a log in a circle" as opposed to pushing/pulling. It makes a big difference to be able to have both legs "inputting" energy into the system at the same time. I would say "non-linear response" but that's probably inaccurate... but maybe not? Basically once you've overcome rolling resistance to _start_ going up a hill, being able to continue it with "both legs" instead of one feels like you're not overcoming the "zero-to-one" hurdle as much and instead staying in the "one-to-two" zone. Like you're not "starting over" every downstroke, but instead transitioning your power from one leg to the other. Given a pretty basic commuter bike that I'd upgraded over time, it felt like moving from ~35 to ~20 tires (basic to "road bike") felt like "gaining a gear" (what used to need 1st gear, I could now do in 2nd), and same with clips, also "gaining a gear" (cumulative: now I could be in 3rd instead of being in 1st).