Two-wheeled Segway

Interesting: http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/07/autos/gm_segway/index.htm

There won't be ANY road rage at all involving those slow-moving things on city streets in New York.

Shawn

Um... I think they're all two wheeled. I guessing you meant two seater?

Why can't they just forget all that self balancing stuff and just put a 3rd wheel on it.. Bam, still as manuverable (if set up like a caster), still as small, but not as needlessly complicated. And it would stop/accelerate/turn better.

GM is involved, figures. If there is a stupid idea that can waste time and money, GM will be there. And where does Segway keep getting finances and PR? They are such a huge failure, no one wants the stupid things. You want to put two people on wheels to commute around NYC? Why not an electric moped, scooter or motorcycle. Honda sold 60 million Cubs worldwide in congested cities, I think the concept is pretty sound! But no, lets engineer some complex contraption that balances on two parallel wheels. We've seen it, its kinda neat, but I would prefer an electric Vespa thank you very much. And what's wrong with a simple electric 4-wheeled vehicle? I believe they are called GOLF CARTS!

It looks like they are trying to get us ready for life on the Axiom.

nocones wrote: Why can't they just forget all that self balancing stuff and just put a 3rd wheel on it.. Bam, still as manuverable (if set up like a caster), still as small, but not as needlessly complicated. And it would stop/accelerate/turn better.

Agreed. I sort of "get" the normal segway. It reacts to normal human inputs. A two seater wouldn't do that, because you don't want your smart ass passenger leaning forward and making you hit some dude in the crosswalk, so it's got to have a more car-like interface. At that point, the self balancing is just a gimmick.

buddy works/worked for DEKA (company that developed segway). I could tell you some looney stories. Is it a neat design exercise, yes. They way they treated him recently, I hope they burn in a fire. Ohh and they'll never get an ounce of my money or any I ever control from any company.

16vCorey wrote: Um... I think they're all two wheeled. I guessing you meant two seater?

Duh, yeah. Late night.

ignorant wrote: ... I could tell you some looney stories. .

ok, go ahead

Strizzo wrote:

ignorant wrote: ... I could tell you some looney stories. .

ok, go ahead

can't right now. not until the legal action is over.

David S. Wallens wrote:

16vCorey wrote: Um... I think they're all two wheeled. I guessing you meant two seater?

Duh, yeah. Late night.

I'm thinking you meant 'Two headed Segway'.

The Segway has been probably the biggest 'bust' ever. Even after their original early guerilla marketing thing about 'IT', most of them have been sold to gov't agencies such as the postal service.

yeah, Dean Kamen was originally working on a balancing wheelchair that worked good on inclines and was more manueverable. Dude is an inventive genious, even if he is a bit odd The gyro/balance tech was surprisingly easy to create.

I see a lot of them in security situations, especially cops on them hauling ass around airports.

Hmm, efficient and economical two wheeled transport. I wonder why nobody has thought of that already?

2 person. 2 wheel. efficent.

WilD wrote: Hmm, efficient and economical two wheeled transport. I wonder why nobody has thought of that already?

My dad had one of those. Black like this one, only his had saddlebags:

My mom tried to ride it, landed in the ditch at the end of the driveway and briused her leg so bad the whole outside turned purple. To this day she won't ride a motorcycle.

I thought those things were only for Ken Block to drift around.

My dad sent me a link to that. They've already been invented:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM_Jf17Ni-8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5qnPwiWF9U&feature=related