‘IT’ Revealed - Drudge Text
[Text of copyrighted article deleted. See http://www.drudgereport.com/matt91j.htm ]
[Edited by bibliophage on 12-02-2001 at 10:33 PM]
Moderators, I sure the poster meant well, but this appears to be taking too big a part of Drudge’s story and in turn Time’s story. This needs to be either correctly linked or summarized to avoid copyright violations
I think it will begin by replacing cars in inner-urban areas.
Utterly fascinating.
I remember when this project was first hinted at…wasn’t it almost a year ago? I thought it was neat that people had suddenly taken an interest in the field of Invention.
Kamen himself is not without his accomplishments, either…he invented the portable insulin pump, and the stair-climbing wheelchair. I really believe that this -could-, in fact, be textbook history in the making.
Kewl. Almost sounds like the hoverboard from Back to the Future II. Guess I’ll check out GMA tomorrow.
Already I can visualize some questions concerning the real usability of this device:
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Is it small and light enough for an ordinary person to carry when it is not practical to ride, and compact enough to store in a secure area when not in use (consider how often bicycles and their components are stolen when parked on the street in an urban environment, even when heavily secured)?
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How usable is it during inclement weather (particularly snow)?
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What are the maximum up and downgrades that can be negotiated by the device with a rider on board?
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What is the maximum practical load? Is there any way to safely carry objects such as briefcases or shopping packages while riding?
I am sure the answers to the above will become apparent in due course, but merely point these out as factors that will have a major effect on how fast this device is adopted by the public. Based on the little revealed so far, it appears that at least at first, adoption of the Segway will be most advantageous in relatively flat terrain with temperate year-round conditions.
Intersting. But how does it fit into the Unified Field Theory?
If the report is accurate, and the thing really performs as advertised, I can see a pretty big niche market for it - large factories, postal workers as mentioned, downtown couriers, and pleasure riding.
But I don’t see this thing replacing the car. How do you pick up groceries on your way home? Or pick up the kids from school? What do you do if there is a snowstorm?
Let’s say that the thing actually made sense for people to take to work on warm sunny days when you had no other commitments. That still means you’ll have to have some other form of transportation for the bad days, which for most people means you still need to own and insure a car.
And if you already have a car, it’s pretty hard to justify $3,000 for a second vehicle, and it’s hard to compete with driving in a heated or air conditioned vehicle while listening to the stereo and drinking a cup of coffee. If you think about it, most of the advantages of ‘ginger’ can be had with a conventional moped, except that you actually get to sit down. But how many people own mopeds?
But hey, for people who have to walk all day on the job, for the military, and other specialized industries it sounds way cool.
I also have serious questions about the claims for fuel efficiency and such. Five cents a day for energy? Where is the power coming from? It sounds almost like you’ll have to provide the energy yourself in some way, perhaps like a skateboard or something. There are no free lunches.
well, perhaps the design could be expanded. if it’s designed to be a bit bigger, it might work as well as a car.
i mean, we don’t know how fast it could go if it were modified to go as fast as it could. we also don’t know how stable or surface holding or light or big or ANYTHING about it, really. only a general description and some wild thrown out estimates.
but this really could be something amazing. let’s see what sort of splash it makes next year. i can’t wait.
but still, 3,000 dollars NEW… wow…
Is this the same vehicle they showed last week on South Park?
Looked kinda uncomfortable, but hey, it’s still better than dealing with the airlines…
Is it something you stand on? What sort of top speeds do you think we’re talking about? Falling off something going X speed vs Y speed makes a big difference…
Quote:
“A bike is too slow and light to mix with trucks in the street but too large and fast to mix with pedestrians on the sidewalk,” he argues. “Our machine is compatible with the sidewalk. If a Segway hits you, itis like being hit by another pedestrian.”
So does this mean it will only move at walking pace?
Unless it could carry me at a minimum of 10 or 15mph I wouldn’t take one as a gift.
milo
And having a person run into you at even 10 mph will do some significant damage to you. It’d be like getting hit by a linebacker in full stride.
I can definitely see this have some very useful applications within cities and other crowded places, like college campuses. But completely replacing the car, and the dozens of useful forms it has spawned since its invention? I don’t understand how Kamen can even think that would be possible. What about commuters, families going on vacation, or even people who simply enjoy driving? They’re not exactly going to rush out and buy these things, even when the price falls.
Associated Press is reporting a top speed of 17 mph. A charge will keep the thing going for two hours.
Hiyruu, we take copyright issues seriously around here. A link to the article is usually suffient. In any case, you should not quote more than a paragraph or two of a copyrighted work.
bibliophage
moderator GQ
Maxim had an article about this sevral months ago. Back in June or July I believe.