Herdtle & Bruneau was a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 maker of motorcycles. In 1905 they introduced motorized roller skates to the public. Each skate contained a 1 hp motor; controls could then be affixed to the skater's belt

Belt (clothing)

A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing.-History:...

, and would be linked via flexible cable

Cable

A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...

s to the skates. Top speed for the contraption was said to be a brake

Brake

A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....

less 66 kilometre per hour. Unsurprisingly, the idea did not catch on, and the line of motorized skates was discontinued by the end of the year.