# "IT" has been revealed.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698 "2001-01-12T14:35:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/1 "2001-01-12T14:35:41Z")
I couldn’t find the earlier thread, and I figured this would be buried somewhere near the end, so I hope nobody minds if I start a new thread. So here it is… “IT” has apparently been revealed in a patent search under the inventor’s name. So here IT is: [http://www.delphion.com/fcgi-bin/any2html?FILENAME=WO%2F01%2F50%2FWO00075001A1.tif&PAGE=1&SCALE=0.35](http://www.delphion.com/fcgi-bin/any2html?FILENAME=WO%2F01%2F50%2FWO00075001A1.tif&PAGE=1&SCALE=0.35) What a load of hype. It is basically a motorized skateboard. Sorry, this device isn’t going to revolutionize anything. And even though I’ve been skateboarding for over 30 years, you’ll never get ME on one of those damn things. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/2 "2001-01-12T14:44:16Z")
**Fear** has thoughtfully provided links in this thread to the other threads, if anyone still cares. :rolleyes: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=55046](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=55046) ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/3 "2001-01-12T14:51:59Z")
I don’t think this is IT. This doesn’t match all of the descriptions of IT. Specifically, this would not be usable by everyone, where IT supposedly will… ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/4 "2001-01-12T15:01:56Z")
Dun’t be silly—“It” was revealed back in the 1920s by Madame Elinor Glyn. And I quote: “It is that quality possessed by some which draws all others with its magnetic force. With It you win all men if you are a woman, and all women if you are a man. It can be a quality of the mind as well as physical attraction.” Don’t second-guess Madame Glyn . . . ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/5 "2001-01-12T15:19:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JoeyBlades \* > \*\*I don’t think this is IT. This doesn’t match all of the descriptions of IT. Specifically, this would not be usable by everyone, where IT supposedly will… \*\* I think it does fit all the descriptions. It could be usable by everyone, except the inventor has a stupid idea about the profile of “everyone.” Like it excludes the blind, for example. I think he means that everyone who could drive a car would be able to use it. This device also fits the outsider comments like “people will build cities around it.” Another person dug up a reference to the inventor, and says he’s associated with a robotics company. Can’t be a robot, there isn’t any robotic system within today’s technological capacities that could be used by everyone. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/6 "2001-01-12T15:26:54Z")
I can’t imagine that this motorized scooter is IT. If it is, then none of the comments by Jobs et al. make any sense whatsoever. Motorized scooters already exist. And if it’s a scooter that can go over varied terrain…big deal. Motorcycles can already do that. Why would people not be allowed to use this scooter? Why would cities need to be redesigned? What regulations would it run afoul of? Even if Jobs et al. are seriously exaggerating, this invention couldn’t fit their statements. They’d have to be in some crack haze, babbling utter nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![ElDestructo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@ElDestructo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElDestructo)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/7 "2001-01-12T15:44:14Z")
Mmmmm…crack haze… ---
**Author:** ![mazzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@mazzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mazzer)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/8 "2001-01-12T15:50:20Z")
Hello? The inventor clearly stated that he was keeping IT a secret so that others would not copy him. Do you think he would then go off and patent it so that any Joe with a NetZero account could find out what he invented?! This is not IT. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/9 "2001-01-12T15:51:50Z")
That thing’s only got two wheels. HTF am I supposed to stay balanced on it? Bah. I want my Back to the Future Anti-Gravity Skateboard[sup]TM[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/10 "2001-01-12T15:53:24Z")
I really don’t think this is “Ginger”. While it may incorporate some of the same features, I doubt that such a secret project would simply be patented. Also, the patent seems to be simply an offshoot of some of the technologies from the iBot wheelchair Kamen invented. Basically looks like Kamen wanted to make sure that he had patented all the applications he could think of for a control system that would allow such a vehicle to be stable. I wouldn’t be surprised if the thing was similar, but I can guarantee that it is something more impressive than a motor scooter. ---
**Author:** ![mazzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@mazzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mazzer)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/11 "2001-01-12T16:00:30Z")
Actually, **friedo** , if you look at some later pictures, like [this one](http://www.delphion.com/fcgi-bin/any2html?FILENAME=WO%2F01%2F50%2FWO00075001A1.tif&PAGE=45), it only has _one_ wheel. That’s what the patent is for, a self-balancing scooter. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/12 "2001-01-12T16:02:40Z")
Yeah, I saw the scooter thing here… [http://www.cputweak.com/it.html](http://www.cputweak.com/it.html) It _could_ be what they (Jobs, et al) are talking about, but they would have to be seriously delusional if they are. In some ways this is a plausible choice for “IT”. It could be a combination of his new wheelchair technology with his new stirling engine technology. IT could stand for “Individual Transport”. **IF** (and that’s a big if) this were to catch on, then cities might be retrofitted for them in that “scooter paths” and that sort of thing would come into existance. It could _possibly_ (unlikely, but possibly) replace a lot of cars for commuting purposes. The regulatory problems mentioned would also exist; there are obvious safety problems and liscencing/operation issues involved. BUT… this is hardly a breakthrough on the scale of the PC or the Internet. It’s a powered scooter that can hop over curbs. Big deal. Powered scooters already exist, and they are hardly taking the world by storm. Obviously, if this is “IT”, they are seeing it as a replacement for the automobile. Not likely. Let’s look at the problems. First, how fast does this thing go? My commute is 35 miles each way daily. Even accepting that my commute is longer than normal, I still can’t see this being a useful commuting device unless it goes at least 30 mph. A collision at 30 mph would _hurt_. My car has lots of metal around me, not to mention things like air bags and seat belts to protect me in a collision. This thing has nothing. (I assume the rider would be wearing a helmet, but that isn’t much.) If this thing moves at any useful speed then many people would find it fairly dangerous. (Of course, they did mention regulatory problems and question if people would be allowed to use it. If this is “IT”, then they are probably correct there…) Second, as alluded to above, the scooter thing here is open. That means that in cold weather the operator will get cold, in hot weather they will get hot and when it is raining they will get wet. My car is enclosed and has climate control. Third, this is a fairly small vehicle so forget about dropping the clothes off at the dry cleaners on the way to work. No storage space. For the same reason, don’t try to pick up the groceries on the way home or drop the kids off at soccer practice. Which leads to… Fourth, this is a one passenger vehicle. Forget going out to lunch with someone (unless they take their own scooter). And it isn’t going to be of much use to anyone who has to worry about someone who can’t drive. No dropping the kids off at day care, school or soccer practice. And I could never take my dog with me. Fifth, the reason for the secrecy around “IT” is supposedly that old-line companies would either try to block IT’s introduction or try to steal IT for themselves. Again, powered scooters already exist and this particular variant shouldn’t be that hard to replicate. Finally, does anyone really think we would redesign cities for this thing? We can’t even get bicycle trails built today and sidewalks are becoming things of the past. And there are lots of bike riders, walkers and joggers already. So, either this isn’t “IT” or the people involved need a serious reality check. I think both statements may be true. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/13 "2001-01-12T16:14:33Z")
Let’s just resolve that it’s some sort of nifty, compact (probably foldable) 2-3 or 4 wheeled urban scooter/trike/go kart type device powered by some sort of stirling/fuel cell/_whatever_ electric engine. I think it’s a pretty reasonable guess that some part it’s function is based on his i-bot self balancing wheelchair technology though how that’s going to help the aforesaid vehicle is a bit beyond my ken at this point. Based on the hype to date unless this thing also cooks my breakfast in addition to carrying my sedentary, post-industrial behind around, Kamen is going to wind up looking pretty foolish. ---
**Author:** ![BickByro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@BickByro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BickByro)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/14 "2001-01-12T16:47:50Z")
did a little pokin’ around… whitley “communion” strieber has noted that, if the scooter operated via some sort of electromagnet intereacting with a grid beneath the streets, it might actually live up to the hype. if not… it’s crap ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/15 "2001-01-12T17:10:44Z")
If Ginger is the powered unicycle being touted, jeeeeez, what a letdown! I mean, it would have to have an amazingly powerful and efficient and **small** motor! If this guy has invented **that** , WTF using it for a one-person scooter? I’ll just go reserve it a place on [fuckedcompany.com](http://fuckedcompany.com). Be there by lunch. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/16 "2001-01-12T17:12:16Z")
Would you really want to be standing on a single-wheeled vehicle going 30 mph when the gyros failed? Either this is a red herring or the promoters are deluded. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/17 "2001-01-12T18:29:46Z")
I agree with everyone else here. If this is _IT_ then Kamen is having serious delusions of grandeur. This thing would be even less safe than a motorcycle, and you couldn’t even carry a briefcase unless it was strapped to your back. I can see this device being used as a recreational item (kinda like a 21-century skateboard) but I hope the inventor doesn’t expect this to replace automobiles. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/18 "2001-01-12T18:51:37Z")
Who would want to publish a book all about a motorised skateboard? IT _has_ to be something more worthy of the hype than this. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/19 "2001-01-12T19:12:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by IJGrieve \* > \*\*Who would want to publish a book all about a motorised skateboard? > > IT _has_ to be something more worthy of the hype than this. \*\* Dammit, I hope so. I need something better than that for all this hype- maybe it has a hidden beer tap? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698/20 "2001-01-12T21:10:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\*Dun’t be silly—“It” was revealed back in the 1920s by Madame Elinor Glyn. And I quote: > > “It is that quality possessed by some which draws all others with its magnetic force. With It you win all men if you are a > woman, and all women if you are a man. It can be a quality of the mind as well as physical attraction.” > \*\* Eve, if I may say so, you are full of “It”. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-been-revealed/49698.md?page=2)