...is here.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
I was hoping for an repulsor lift for ze' Jeep.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
It's...um...
Definatly more overhyped then it should have been...
Posted by David Templar (Member # 580) on :
Good god, it doesn't fly?
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
quote: He believes the Segway "will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy."
I would say overhyped. He actually thinks 'it' will replace cars. Maybe in cities like NYC where cars are already impractical... but where I live.. everywhere is 15 to 20 miles away and I can't imagine getting there on a scooter looking thing.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Yes, it said that in the article, Hobbes Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
It definetly looks interesting. I'm not disappointed if you can believe it. On the other hand, I never bought any of those rumors saying that it would fly and what not. Can you imagine the stabilization system on that thing going on a battlebot? LOL That would be sweet......
On another note, I can see how this thing can be of use. There is absolutly no bus system where I live and the whole attitude here is, "If you don't have a car, you're fu**ed." At the very least, it will be fun to ride.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Uh ... MIB, you won't be able to afford one, it's $3k.
From the article, it certainly sounds like its going to be marketed to those who live in the "Big City" ... this way, they won't have to drive their cars and congest the streets (altho, most big-city dwellers -- Boston, NY, etc. -- I know don't *own* cars).
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
I think I like Mr. Garrison's version of "IT" much better than this.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
And for three thousand dollars you might as well put a down payment on a car you'll certainly get more out of it than 'it'.
If JeffyK had one of those things do you really think deer would avoid him? They'd laugh if could saying, "Haha where's your Jeep now pizza boy!"
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Thats $3000 at introduction. It'll be dirt cheap within a few years once they lighten it and find substitute parts and stuff like that. Just like computers.
Posted by G.K Nimrod (Member # 205) on :
I like it! The balance systems seem cool and they've obviously been putting a lot of effort into making it environmental and energy-efficient, riding for 20+ hours for "five cent's worth of electricity". Of course it will be expensive in the beginning, before more factories start building it.
I just hope people in the automobile-industry won't try and destroy the franchise in a misguided attempt to protect sales...
Posted by Mojo Jojo (Member # 256) on :
Well, so much for that anti-graviton field generator I was hoping for...
quote:Not only does it have no brakes, it also has no engine, no throttle, no gearshift and no steering wheel.
Exactly how does it move, then?
[ December 03, 2001: Message edited by: Mojo Jojo ]
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
If it used anti-gravity technology, our government would be all over it so fast it would make your head spin and we would never hear of it ever again.
As for how it works, according to what I have read, once you imagine it doing whatever you want it to do, you make slight balance shifts. Ginger detects these balance shifts and.....well....the rest is pretty obvious.
P.S. I just saw the unvieling on Good Morning America. It looks like it would be fun to ride. Ginger will deinetly be great for larger cities. Unfortunatly, the shit-hole town I live in doesn't even have sidewalks. Apparently the hicks here think that sidewalks are the work of the devil or something.
[ December 03, 2001: Message edited by: MIB ]
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mojo Jojo: Exactly how does it move, then?
[ December 03, 2001: Message edited by: Mojo Jojo ]
The Segway has 2 small electric motors moving the axle. If one fails, the other can still run the wheels.
The same applies to the system's "sisterboards", two identical motherboards then run the entire machine. If one fails, the other can still run the vehicle perfectly.
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
This got me thinking. Currently, the king of pedestrian transportation is a good bike. I'm just kind of thinking how IT would be better than a bike. As far as I'm concerned, they are about on par with each other.
They both are on par with regards to usefulness on a typical city sidewalk. With regards to speed, they are about on, or at least, will be on par with each other. (The one Kamen showed on GMA had a top speed of 12 MPH, but he hinted that future models might be able to go faster.)
Advantages IT has over a bike: It's more comfortable than a bike. hehe. For me, standing has always been more comfortable than sitting on bike seats for extended periods of time. +5 over a bike!
IT looks cooler than a bike. +1 over a bike
IT is definetly less bulky than a standard bike. +3 over a bike
It would be far more convenient for larger guys like myself where 26" wheel bycicles (the largest stores carry from what I've seen) are quite a bit on the small side. My uncle had to special order his bike which ran him about 2 or 3 hundred dollars. +6 over a bike.
Advantages a bike has over IT: You get plenty of excerise from using a bike. Sense I'm quite a bit overwight, this is a big plus over IT. +8 over IT
A bike is far cheaper even if you have to special order one. +5
+3 or 4 for all the other smaller advatages a bike has over IT that I haven't thought of yet.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Of course, you forgot to list that, if you aren't looking for a workout, but simply to get from point A to point B, the Segway is much less tiring.
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
That is true. If you need to get from your home to work and if you don't want to be stuck in traffic and all, IT would be a better choice over a bike if you don't want to arrive at work all sweaty. Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
And if there's one thing America needs, it's something that will help them take even less exercise.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Oh, like you don't have fat people in Britain. What about that Henry fellow? Last name VIII.
Posted by Jernau Morat Gurgeh (Member # 318) on :
A couple of things on your assessment which I would contend, MIB:
I haven't seen the thing in action yet, but from the pictures I wouldn't really say that the Segway looks better than a bike. It's more a matter of personal preference.
Another important factor is the fact that the Segway needs to be charged
Bicycles puncture, whereas the Segway has solid wheels.
We still don't know which is better for jousting, I'd probably bet on the Segway for that one
By the way, has anyone seen how the thing performs when it encounters the typical kerb?
quote: What about that Henry fellow? Last name VIII.
He's been doing much better since he married the widow next door.
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jernau Morat Gurgeh: By the way, has anyone seen how the thing performs when it encounters the typical kerb?
I have. It wouks just as well as any typical bike.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Herman Wouk?
Posted by Balaam Xumucane (Member # 419) on :
I heard that the SegWay can detect the approaching curb, and right before it hits uses the tiny gyroscopes to project a tiny cascaded quantum instability directly in front of the wheels. That's really where the cost come in. Anyway the instability's interaction with the curb can result in either the vehicle stopping short and flinging you over the handlebar, or transporting up to the level of the sidewalk depending, of course, on the height of the curb.
Posted by OnToMars (Member # 621) on :
Odd thing is, it doesn't actually choose between the two states (flipping or hopping the curb) until after you've observed your ass on the ground.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
"Oh, like you don't have fat people in Britain."
First of all, wow. I Henry VIII joke. You're doing a great job of keeping up with current events there Tim.
Besides, we obviously have fat people in Britain. I think we're the fattest country in Europe, with about one quarter of the population being medically obese. Of course, you're in the lead with one third, but we might still catch you yet. It's not like you can run fast or anything.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Hey, now... I keep up w/ current events. I know full well that Henry VIII isn't your monarch anymore. It's Elizabeth. His daughter.
