[corlinpalmer]

Moving walkways have a big power efficiency problem over a distance. While you can make a train track longer without decreasing the efficiency of the train, a moving walkway has to move that whole walkway. Can you imagine the friction on a 10 mile long moving walkway? You would need massive motors just to budge it.

[ricardobeat]

If, like in the design seen here, the slide movement and propulsion is decoupled, and motors add impulse to the platforms at constant intervals, doesn't sound like that would be a problem. These wood platforms must have weighed tons by the way.

[anothernewdude]

Doesn't need to be one big continuous walkway.

[chefandy]

The moving walkways in some airports, for example, have multiple moving sections and work just fine.

[thereisnospork]

Required power should essentially be a constant per unit length, can easily have 1 motor per kilometer or city-block.

And for my dumb idea of the day: 'just' use solar panels as the walking surface as use that to power the slidewalk.

[Joeri]

So, linked hoverboards as walkway segments with a solar cell surface controlled by a mesh network?

[cybrox]

Solar friggin sidewalks!

[cpill]

could hoover like a monorail?