It's not like the 'IT' in Southpark, but still pretty funny:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1689000/1689106.stm



IT" is here. IT generated a huge amount of hype and speculation in January this year when news of its existence first emerged.


The IT in question is the invention of US engineer Dean Kamen and was finally unveiled today on American TV.

IT is a scooter. But not just any scooter.

It might look like an old-fashioned lawn mower, but the one-person, two-wheeled, battery-powered scooter is packed with technology that reportedly makes it easy to ride and hard to fall off.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1685000/images/_1689106_it150.jpg

That thing's cool, I saw it last night on tv. That's nuts that it uses that sterling engine Manu posted something about. But 3000 bucks? That's a little steep for a scooter..

That is a stupid design. There is no doubt in my mind that a 1" crack in the sidewalk would buy you a face full of concrete.

Originally posted by Fordman50
That is a stupid design. There is no doubt in my mind that a 1" crack in the sidewalk would buy you a face full of concrete.


Think Prozac has been impairing your judgement. Those wheels look to be about 12-16" diameter (if the guy in the pic was standing next to it, the top of the wheel looks like it would be just below his knee...). Along with the on-board gyroscopes, you would have a hard time knocking that thing over with a baseball bat... A 1" sidewalk crack would be insignificant.

Looks like it would be a blast fo jumping speed bumps, though...

Originally posted by Fordman50
That is a stupid design. There is no doubt in my mind that a 1" crack in the sidewalk would buy you a face full of concrete.

Have you even read the article or have any background?

I am VERY disapointed after all of the hype for this thing...but for what it is...it is awesome.

This guy made a wheelchair that balances on 2 wheels and climbs stairs...I don't think a 1 inch crack will mess it up...

Originally posted by Manu

This guy made a wheelchair that balances on 2 wheels and climbs stairs...


TIMMAH!!!!!!! :D

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/770000/images/_774296_300chair.jpg

Originally posted by Manu


I am VERY disapointed after all of the hype for this thing...but for what it is...it is awesome.



But, Kamen didn't generate the hype. It was people like Steve Jobs who said it would revolutionize the world. While I do not think it will have that big an impact, it certainly IS an engineering marvel.

Just watch out for 1" cracks in the sidewalk... :rolleyes: Oh brother...

haha. Yeah, that si true.

I am not saying the company has hyped it...but I think there was just SO much speculation and SO much hype in the online community...

Like, Ridely Scott (Gladiator, Blade RUnner) is directing their commericals. They filed FCC lisences. How this is 'bigger than the internet.' How it can be carried in tow duffle bas and assembled in 15 minutes.

Just SO many crazy things being said about IT and I am not all that impressed.

Not disagreeing at all. 'IT' is not THAT bis of a deal IMO. The ones doing the hype did such a good job, it couldn't be anything BUT a let-down. For all of Kamen's accomplishments in the medical field, THIS seems insignificant...

BTW, how would you like to carry a 65-75 pound scooter ina duffle-bag?? Not my idea of portable...

Originally posted by Brian
The ones doing the hype did such a good job, it couldn't be anything BUT a let-down.


Hmm. I don't know that over-hype is a "good job" because you end up undermining the significance what you're about to reveal. Personally, guys like Jobs irritate me with their grandiose pronouncements and "selling the world." Stuff like that has bit him in the ass so many times...

I think Segway is a pretty cool idea. The question is how can this technology be applied elsewhere and to what degree?

Im sorry, whats the big deal? A gyroscope? LOL You really think a little gyroscope it going to keep your face off the road when you hit a pot hole at 17 MPH and all 185 pounds of your body is flying toward the handle bars Brian? I got a bridge I want to sell you !! LOL :D

Um.. Ian, the thing was all over the news last night. They showed it going through water, up steep grassy hills, going over rocks and small branches etc. It looks like the only obstacle that will stop it in the city is if you try to go up a curb or something..

Now if they can only get the price down to around 300 bucks..:cool:

Originally posted by Fordman50
Im sorry, whats the big deal? A gyroscope? LOL You really think a little gyroscope it going to keep your face off the road when you hit a pot hole at 17 MPH and all 185 pounds of your body is flying toward the handle bars Brian? I got a bridge I want to sell you !! LOL :D


Again, Ian, your mouth is writing checks your brain can't cash. Do you have ANY background in Mechanical Engineering at all? If not, maybe for once in your life you might realize that you DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. :eek:


Originally posted by Fordman50
That is a stupid design. There is no doubt in my mind that a 1" crack in the sidewalk would buy you a face full of concrete.

When did the 1" sidewalk crack turn into a pothole? There is a huge difference. :rolleyes:

First, it would depend on the size of the pothole as to how well Segway would handle it. with the large wheels it has, it can handle at least a 4" vertical surface (assuming a 14" wheel, 4" is < 1/3 of that diameter, a pothole of this depth wouldn't be much of a problem). If you think your un-educated argument will hold true in real world tests, then, I have a couple bridges and some swamp land I'll sell you. :rolleyes:

Second, you do not need a gyro the size of an elevator to balance a weight of 275 pounds (Segway plus an average size adult male). The six mini-gyros it has are more than sufficient. If you don't know anything about gyros, then I suggest you read up on them. At least you might learn something for a change, and then maybe be able to come up with a LOGICAL, fact based argument instead of USWAG's (Un-Scientific Wild Ass Guesses).

Third, eanax, that was a sarcastic statement. Overhype always leads to a letdown, and that is NEVER a good thing. You can't sell a scooter if people are expecting a Star Trek type transporter...

I wish I had seen that CA.

By 1" crack I mean where the roots push the slap up, not a gap. I just cant see that thing working that well. I guess I COULD be wrong but why build on in inherently unstable platform? Two wheels front and back or three wheels would be even better. I dont fault the gyros if falling over is an issue but the two side by side wheels seems like a cheep gimmick to me. Hell, I was just reading the Northern Tool catalog and they had several electric (and gas) scooters from $250 to $800 dollars!!! Whats up with $8000 for the post office scooters? Yeah thats my tax money and I have serious questions about that technology.

Originally posted by Fordman50
By 1" crack I mean where the roots push the slap up, not a gap. I just cant see that thing working that well. I guess I COULD be wrong but why build on in inherently unstable platform? Two wheels front and back or three wheels would be even better. I dont fault the gyros if falling over is an issue but the two side by side wheels seems like a cheep gimmick to me. Hell, I was just reading the Northern Tool catalog and they had several electric (and gas) scooters from $250 to $800 dollars!!! Whats up with $8000 for the post office scooters? Yeah thats my tax money and I have serious questions about that technology.

I wasn't talking gap either. Even a 4" VERTICAL difference in terrain is not a big deal to this thing. Two side x side wheels is unstable without the gyros. With the gyros, it can stand upright with or without a person onbaord. While not impossible to knock over, it is far from unstable. If you did have a three wheel design, it would be larger, heavier and wouldn't need the gyros in the first place. The technology is rock solid. Your tax money is going to pay for the R & D, that in turn will get the cost of the device down to where average people can afford one. It all goes in a circle...

Ian- How is this an unstable platform? This IS a stable platform, thats the point of gyroscopes...

Like Brian said if they made this into a 3/4 wheeled platform its intended purpose is lost. Don't get just have a car then? :rolleyes:

Do those 300-800 dollar scooters allow you to run it on 10 cents a day of electrciity? With a range of like 10 miles? Nope.

Do those 300-800 dollar scooters go 17mph? Prolly not.

Can those scooters go over rough terrain, uphills, water, all while doing the balancing themselves? Nope.

Do those scoots lack a steering wheel because it anticipates the direction you want to go? Not at all.

This COULD revolutionize how some businesses work. Ford, FedEx, UPS, US Postal Service ALL are looking into buying many units and incorparting them into their plants...

Hell, I know if my work let me use one I would (on their dime :P) It would save me time and save me from running around 1-2 miles a day in the med center...

NO matter how great IT is it was still overblown media hype

3k for that..... i think not

/me revs the long tubes and enjoys the smell of raw fuel.