A local company is getting attention at the Edmonton Boat and Sportsmen’s Show with some unique products, including a portable kit that allow cyclists to float their bikes.
Close to 200 vendors have packed the Edmonton Expo Centre for the boat show, offering everything from hunting, fishing, boating, and the outdoors.
One of those vendors is Schaefer Innovation. The Edmonton company is showing off three unique products that the company’s director, Chris Schaefer, calls green energy products.
The Shuttle Bike Kit fits into a small backpack. It turns a bike into a personal watercraft when the cyclist assembles a frame, inflates two pontoons and attaches the rudder. The rig floats on water, while the bike’s pedals turn a small propeller.
Schaefer Innovation has also designed the WHIP e-scooter, a battery-operated scooter that can be folded up to fit in a locker.
Simona Schaefer stands on the Whip e-scooter, a battery powered foldable scooter. (Travis McEwan/CBC)
The company is also displaying a “smart” bike helmet that has built in signal and tail lights. In an emergency, impact sensors on the helmet can alert 911, and provide the location by using the GPS on the cyclist’s phone.
“Most people actually will look at our booth and think that our product is science fiction,” Schaefer said. “So it’s nice to be able to show them that it does exist.”
Also at the boat show this weekend, there’s a water-skiing squirrel named Twiggy.
It’s not everyday you see a water skiing squirrel. But you can this weekend at the Boat and Sportsmens Show. We’ll have the back story on “Twiggy” at 5:20 <a href=”https://twitter.com/CBCRadioActive?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CBCRadioActive</a> <a href=”https://t.co/Bb7NwRoxtj”>pic.twitter.com/Bb7NwRoxtj</a>
—@RodKurtzCBC
Randy Bliss was looking for fishing products when he stopped to look at the Shuttle Bike Kit. While he doesn’t see it as a product he’d use in an urban setting, he’s intrigued by its potential for use in nature areas.
“I think it would be an interesting way to travel,” Bliss said. “You can go on the lakes and on the trail as well.”
Of nearly 200 vendors at the show, most are related to hunting fishing, boating and outdoor recreation. (Travis McEwan/CBC)
The Edmonton Boat and Sportsmen’s Show wraps on Sunday at 5 p.m.