{"id":18816,"title":"Rocket Powered Skateboard","description":"What some see as waste, others see as potential. We had a broken skateboard. Each scratch or knot told its own story.\u00a0We had an idea for a new chapter. The idea was to strap some rocket boosters to it and see how fast it would go. How would this chapter end?","content":"

T-minus 1 month<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>

A broken skateboard. As with a lot in life, what some see as waste, others see as potential. For those that care to look, reclaimed materials, especially natural materials, have something priceless about them.<\/p>

The grip tape was long gone exposing the grain, every dent a day of shredding long since past. Each scratch or knot told its own story.\u00a0We had an idea for a new chapter. How it would start was clear, yet how the chapter would end remained an open question, as the idea involved pyrotechnics. The idea was to strap some rocket boosters to it and see how fast it would go.<\/p>

\"\"

Instead of closing the book on this old board, we added some clever engineering to unlock its potential.<\/p>

T-minus 1 week<\/strong><\/p>

As a sustainability-oriented business, rockets and engineering might seem a bit far out. But engineering is an important part of what we do. Redesigning the way products are made meant building new types of technologies<\/a><\/u>. We train our staff\u00a0 to do that here, and part of the course includes 3D printing rockets. It\u2019s a fun way to learn and it changes perspectives. You can make rocket fuel from solidified caster sugar wrapped in a cardboard tube.<\/p>

Plant based materials can be exciting and powerful - but also natural and biodegradable. With a little help from the robotics parts bin we took things to the tool shed.<\/p><\/blockquote>

In went an old skateboard, out came a new Rocketboard. Whether things would turn out as well as we\u2019d hoped was to be determined. The only way to find out was to give it a try.<\/p>

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-- pre launch checklist, wearing our new Stripey Tee, out in the newsletter <\/a>soon<\/em><\/p>


T-minus 1 minute\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

With Freshwater bay in the distance, the scene was set on what looked like a casual hill. Just enough to get rolling, but not so much to risk breaking the sound barrier. The time had come for launch.<\/p>

Lift-off\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

After a confident push-off, a switch was flicked and the rockets ignited instantly. Then everything became a blur or watery eyes and creaky trucks and speed wobbles.\u00a0<\/p>

It\u2019s really quite impressive how much energy and power can be stored up, repurposed and released when using plant based materials.<\/p>