History of Dean Kamen's Segway(slate.com)
slate.com
History of Dean Kamen's Segway
https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/08/dean-kamen-viral-mystery-invention-2001.html
8 comments
As a summer student in 1999 I saw the Segway's gyroscopic technology evaluated in a stand-up wheelchair form by https://www.herl.pitt.edu/. This research lab sat between the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Veterans Affairs department. The lab still exists.
The wheelchair hit the public as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBOT. I knew it as "FRED". I have never observed anyone using its equal in terms of mobility capabilities.
As an example of what sort of other stuff HERL did back in the day: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00039...
The wheelchair hit the public as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBOT. I knew it as "FRED". I have never observed anyone using its equal in terms of mobility capabilities.
As an example of what sort of other stuff HERL did back in the day: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00039...
I saw videos of gyroscopic wheelchairs at the time, and they are as awesome today as I remembered them!
My skepticism was rather about Segway, the product, being useful as a mobility device, and recognised as such by European regulators.
My skepticism was rather about Segway, the product, being useful as a mobility device, and recognised as such by European regulators.
Myy friend, being 33 or so, fell out of Segway, fractured his hip, ruptured an artery in it and almost died from internal bleeding. Now he has fun going through airport security scanners.
I do not think it ever can be classified as a mobility device for elderly.
I do not think it ever can be classified as a mobility device for elderly.
As a 21 year old cable guy in 2001 who had yet to go to university, I wasn't the only one on the web at the time who thought The Invention was some sort of hoverboard-like flying machine or other fantastical device. Waking up early the day of the big reveal only to find out it was a just stupid scooter with a pun-y name was such an incredible let down.
Segway was killed by being few orders of magnitude too expensive.
What it aimed to do, regular electric scooters done a decade later by the virtue of being cheap enough.
What it aimed to do, regular electric scooters done a decade later by the virtue of being cheap enough.
It wasn't just price. A lot of the reaction was a combination of the hype (people expected a lot more) and people thinking you looked stupid on one.
Interesting a third argument against it was that "nobody" would need/want an electric mode of transportation like that vs. walking or using a bike. Price was of course a factor, but it was not the main argument brought up as far as I remember.
Interesting a third argument against it was that "nobody" would need/want an electric mode of transportation like that vs. walking or using a bike. Price was of course a factor, but it was not the main argument brought up as far as I remember.
> Price was of course a factor, but it was not the main argument brought up as far as I remember.
Maybe because this product was mostly discussed in depth by rich people. Poor people just seen it as dumb gadget for the rich that will never stop being dumb because it costs as much as a car.
If it was priced like "hoverboards" it might have application beyond mallcops and tours.
Maybe because this product was mostly discussed in depth by rich people. Poor people just seen it as dumb gadget for the rich that will never stop being dumb because it costs as much as a car.
If it was priced like "hoverboards" it might have application beyond mallcops and tours.
Many years ago, I did a cross-country Segway-based 'hack[1]'.
After orientation and a bit of balance training the group I was in followed the instructor as we spent a good hour or so travelling down muddy tracks and across country fields.
For my part, I enjoyed the experience, and I could certainly see the appeal of using one off-road[2] and would have happily spent my weekends on one in the countryside. On the road/pavement, they had much less appeal as they were bulky and hard to steer nimbly in crowded areas.
As we know they were an important first step to self-balancing vehicles/robots so we shouldn't judge them too harshly; many initial inventions fail, just to be reborn years later as an improved concept.
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[1] The horse kind, not the keyboard-warrior kind.
[2] These Segways were fitted out with larger off-road tyres compared to the ones you usually see.
After orientation and a bit of balance training the group I was in followed the instructor as we spent a good hour or so travelling down muddy tracks and across country fields.
For my part, I enjoyed the experience, and I could certainly see the appeal of using one off-road[2] and would have happily spent my weekends on one in the countryside. On the road/pavement, they had much less appeal as they were bulky and hard to steer nimbly in crowded areas.
As we know they were an important first step to self-balancing vehicles/robots so we shouldn't judge them too harshly; many initial inventions fail, just to be reborn years later as an improved concept.
---
[1] The horse kind, not the keyboard-warrior kind.
[2] These Segways were fitted out with larger off-road tyres compared to the ones you usually see.
While the Segway failed, one of its successors, the electric unicycle, revolutionized how I get around the city. They're more fun than a bicycle or scooter, they have great range, and they're compact enough that you can take them inside wherever you go, which solves the theft problem. The EUC industry is developing rapidly, with large improvements in reliability, performance, and features each year. There's a pretty steep learning curve though, which means that they'll probably never see wide adoption.
Are they legal to ride in your country? And to you feel safe on it?
I live in Paris. They're legal here with a speed limit of 25 km/h. I feel quite safe on them, maybe even safer than I would on a bicycle. Electric unicycles are smaller than bicycles, which makes it easier to avoid other objects on the road. They're also easier to get off quickly if there's an emergency. You definitely need to pay close attention to what's happening around you though. The one thing that's more dangerous is that if you hit a pothole unexpectedly, you're more likely to fall on an electric unicycle.
His safety you are worried about? I feel really unsafe as a pedestrian around those things. These are super fast and small, people love to abuse that and use it to jump between sidewalk and street. Some guys here expect you to run from them on a sidewalk, missing me by inches.
It's harded to be that aggressive and dangerous on a bike. I use to be really afraid for my wife when she went out during pregnancy. Assholes on those drove around her recklessly all the time.
It's harded to be that aggressive and dangerous on a bike. I use to be really afraid for my wife when she went out during pregnancy. Assholes on those drove around her recklessly all the time.
I make sure that pedestrians feel safe around me. I go slowly on sidewalks, walking speed, when I'm near pedestrians, and give them right of way when they're crossing in front of me. You have plenty of control if you ride at a safe speed, and it's possible to ride safely.
This was a nice trip down memory lane. One of my first-ever Internet comments was on a piece about Ginger on Fark.com.
The marvel of the Segway was that it was self balancing. Unfortunately many people judged it as as too expensive.
I wonder if Woz is still rockin his?
The story they told me is that Segway was going to be successful in the USA as a mobility scooter for the elderly, giving range and speed to people who could not walk or cycle far and fast, while not still requiring a traditional wheelchair.
From memory, the strategy was to get the Segway classified as a mobility/accessibility device, which would gain regulatory exemptions and access to funding from public health. They were lobbying the EU with their left hand, and running Segway demonstrations at TV-friendly events like Campus Party with their right hand.
I don't know how much these people believed that this would work in the EU. I didn't believe it. But they weren't getting paid for believing it, nor for persuading me. They were getting paid for telling everyone about it.