wherkewitz's comments

Well, two thoughts:

One.) At a set, low speed we all walk pretty much the same - at least when it comes to the movements the ratchet was picking up.

Two.) Might be interesting to note that they had a pretty small sample size (n=9), and some people were getting more a benefit than others. I think one participant was up to like 10%.

Trekking poles increase your overall metabolic exertion, but make walking feel easier because your whole body (e.g. arms and shoulders) gets thrown into the motion.

They're easier on the legs, harder on the whole body. (Assuming we're talking about trekking across level ground here.)

Also: Everyone should know this. There are still huge issues that need to be figured out before this becomes a commercial product. The 7% figure is bound to change depending on the speed you walk at (diff. speeds will likely require springs with diff. stiffnesses for optimal efficiency). Both Steve and Greg talked about future incarnations that could switch between multiple springs.

...and I didn't write that headline, or the dek (the thing under the head)

Fucking. Sweet. I actually wrote this story!!

Hey that's me. I'm new to Ycombinator but I'll answer questions here too!