An Electric Skateboard… for Your Cat!

Skateboards can be a lot of fun, and even more so their motorized counterparts, but the assumption here is that they are enjoyable — for humans. This, apparently, isn’t always true, as Kim Pimmel built an electric board for his cat MIDI.

The device is powered by a brushed electric motor, along with off-the shelf bracketry to hold the motor, and a timing belt and sprockets to actually drive the wheel. User interface — that is cat control— is provided by a custom lever assembly on the top of the board’s deck.

Put a treat into the throttle lever, and she pulls it to get a snack and a boost!

When MIDI pulls on it, the board rolls forward, perhaps propelling the feline towards a toy or mouse. Internally, an Adafruit Feather M0 is used to handle the electronics, plus a shield for motor control.

While it’s hard to judge what the cat is thinking as its flung from one end of the room to another, it doesn’t look particularly annoyed or terrified. Maybe we can take that to mean its tacit approval. Be sure to check out the quick build video below to see how everything was constructed, including a nicely laser-cut enclosure for the electronics on the bottom of the board, and one for the spring loaded handle assembly.