Segway Getting Real-Life Tests

EReidJ writes: "washingtonpost.com (no registration required) has an article on real-life use of the new Segway scooters, including an update on some of the safety issues and where state laws currently are with use of the Segway. (20 states have specifically passed laws to allow the Segway on sidewalks.) Interesting read."

Some good technical points

[MobyDisk]

But I like this one the best:

"...even traveling at 12.5 miles an hour, the virtual laws of physics say they won't be able to stop on a dime."

Could someone who knows virtual physics tell me which law relates mass, velocity, and dimes?

Segway Jousting...

[Mad Bad Rabbit]

Anyone else suspect this'll become a new Xtr3me Sp0rt,
as soon as Segway prices drop to the $300 range ?

Call them what you will

[nukey56]

"These weigh 69 to 95 pounds, depending on the model, can carry a person up to 250 pounds plus cargo up to 75 pounds. With that much mass, even traveling at 12.5 miles an hour, the virtual laws of physics say they won't be able to stop on a dime."

Apparantly, we've been scammed by educators everywhere.

Re:Some good technical points

[magicslax]

I think the actual law (Newton's 4th) went something along the lines of "A body on segway stays on segway unless presented with sufficient coinage."

Re:How far can you lean forward?

[emmons]

It senses you trying to do it the first time and lets you fall flat on your face. After you do it once the problem mysteriously goes away. (for some people it takes more than once though- these special cases are called "morons")

I crashed a Segway HT...

[Argyle]

My company had a demo of the Segway HT and I got to ride one. Quite fun and easy.

I did however, crash the Segway [pusateri.org] and almost break it.

The link leads to a page with a 3MB Quicktime movie of the incident.

Re:wait

[Anonymous Coward]

The laws of natural selection will take care of the Segway problem.

Nerds, dorks, and other self-described "geeks" will have their genetic material eliminated from the gene pool by the refusal of any sane female to mate with someone lame enough to ride a Segway.

Done and done.

Re:Yeah but....

[kwishot]

I remember a time when I went "up north" during the first weekend in May. I live in the Milwaukee area and was wearing shorts when we left. By the time we got to our property, near Minocqua, there was over 2 ft of snow on the ground and our truck got stuck on a back road. That was one of the funniest things ever, putting chains on tires in shorts and a t-shirt =)
We ended up walking 1/2 mile or so to the cabin at 3 in the morning (in 2+ ft of snow!!) because the truck was bottoming out on the snow and we couldn't go anywhere, even with chains. Lots of "shoveling the truck out" the next day and we finally made it. That weekend ended with snow, hail, rain, and flooding -- we almost had to dig the truck out of *mud* on the way out.
Wisconsin...gotta love it =)

-kwishot

Re:Some good technical points

[Permission Denied]

Pepsi?

Partial Credit!

I assume you're talking about this: Math in the Future according to the Simpsons [smc.edu]. (I apologize for linking directly to a large file, the guy didn't have <a name> tags on his page.)

In this context, your AC post is actually quite amusing.

Re:More info on Segway available by phone

[PunchMonkey]

More info on Segway available by phone

By phone???? Seriously? Ever heard of the interweb for cryin' out loud?

Try: http://www.segway.com/ [segway.com]. This *is* /. man.

Re:Some good technical points

[Speare]

The reverse is far more true, looking at the prices. A body not on a segway stays not on a segway unless presented with sufficient coinage.

Re:How far can you lean forward?

[PunchMonkey]

The segway moves forward to stay underneath you which keeps you from falling over. Like walking, it is a controlled fall.

Actually, what you do when you fall is just "miss" the ground. At that point you just sort of take off and start to fly...but don't think about it too much.

Oh, and remember to bring a towel ;)

Re:My first thought was the snow.

[Rolker]

Maybe Segway 2.0 will come with optional traction control and ABS...

Re:My first thought was the snow.

[kwishot]

Traction Control and ABS wouldn't sound revolutionary enough... it would have to be more like "Gyroscopic hydroplane counteraction mechanism"
Heh... =)

Re:How far can you lean forward?

[perky]

I've heard about this invention called the bicycle. As I understand it, you steer by leaning to the left or the right. The bicycle tilts sideways to stay underneath you which keeps you from falling over. Like walking, it is a controlled fall. But naturally the turning radius is limited, so if you lean too far (trying to turn faster) the bicycle would not be able to keep up and you would keep leaning farther until your face meets the sidewalk. Does anyone know what keeps it from doing this?

Sinclair C5

[gwernol]

Here is the spiritual predecessor of the Segway, the Sinclair C5 [sinclairc5.co.uk]. First sold in January 1985 this one-person electric vehicle cost less than $500 and was still an absolute commercial disaster.

Although superficially very different, the C5 and the Segway try to solve similar problems of personal mobility without being a car or motorbike. The Segway is undoubtably more advanced (and several times the price) but like the C5 is: small (one person, no luggage), exposed, slow and makes you look like a dork.

I'm not sure I see why the Segway won't go the same way as the C5. I certainly wouldn't buy any stock in Segway.

Re:How far can you lean forward?

[Ooblek]

Wow, thats interesting. I guess I just assumed that it you threw yourself at the ground fast and hard enough using this, you had a better chance of missing it. Seemed like a good way to learn how to fly. Hey, it worked for Arthur Dent.

I wonder who will be the first to...

[bluelarva]

get run over by a car while riding on segway.

"overclock" it to do 60 mph.

put a really large tires and ride over other segway crushing it.

dissect it and puts it's pictures of it's guts online and get slashdotted.

have their segway malfunction and end up doing a cartwheel on a steep sidewalk.

do all sort of cool tricks with it like a freestyle bike.

fall off the thing and get hurt and decides to sue Dean Kamen.

ride segway while drunk as a skunk and get charged with DWI.

have their segway run out of battery on the side of the road and have to call AAA to tow it.

hit a pedestrian.

hit a pedestrian and run off.

have their segway tiretracks link them to a crime they committed.

find their segway minus wheels sitting on concrete blocks on the side of the road.

steal it.

get caught trying to steal it.

track down a stolen segway by using hidden GPS.

strap a jet rocket and attempt to break segway land speed record.

----
jk

Re:sidewalks? BIKELANES!

[Quietust]

"Get laws passed for segfaults on sidewalks"

Freudian slip?

Re:Yeah but....

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyone try riding a bicycle on ice?

Sure, they're called icicles.

Re:$3000 bucks

[Anonymous Coward]

200 college kids won't be going to the same class in these things, they're way too expencive.

Yep, just like computers. There's probably only a market for about half of dozen of these things, in the whole world.

Re:A pointless invention to make people fatter

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know. I was kind of hoping for a one-use, disposable Segway I could ride down the block to McDonalds for a Lardburger and some McFat-Fries.

Re:Political/Marketing clout?

[nurightshu]

It's much safer and less stressful for everyone.

Except for that line of 50 cars behind your bike-pedaling ass. They're all blowing veins in their foreheads because the goddamn speed limit is fucking 55 goddamn miles per hour and some SHITPOT on a fucking mountain bike is in their way when they just want to get home so they can drink a glass of bourbon and watch some Letterman, for christsakes, is that too fucking much to ask from you kids these days on your GODDAMN MOUNTAIN BIKES and your FUCKING RAZOR SCOOTERS and your DAMNED ROLLERSKATES, when all I want to do is finish my fucking commute and see if maybe I can get a piece of tang from my wife who's been all, "Oh, it's that time of the month and anyway I have a headache and feel all bloated" when I know goddamn well that her last period was only two weeks ago and there's no Playtex wrappers in the bathroom trashcan besides, and the damn kids are all whiny about how mean I'm being when I ground them because they didn't do their goddamn homework again, and then they start telling me all about how when Uncle Steve comes over during the day to visit Mommy that he's much nicer than I am, and then I have to go back into the bedroom and there's my cheating tramp of a wife on the phone -- with STEVE, Steve my best friend for nine years and I took his dog to the vet when it got hit by one of you goddamn CYCLISTS and bled all over the brand new top-grain Italian leather interior, Steve who was the best man at my wedding and helped me cover it up when Tommy Myers OD'ed at the bachelor party, and now he's on the phone with my GODDAMN WIFE and I know what I have to do, which I is why I kept my pistol all nice and clean and loaded in the first place, and when that first round explodes forth from the barrel, all pyrotechnic magic and cordite, it's like the first time I was ever with her and I couldn't control myself and it was all over before she even had her blouse unbuttoned, for christsakes, and now she's dead in a puddle of blood and I'm screaming into the phone, "Did you hear that, Steve, old buddy OLD PAL?! I'm coming for you next!"

On second thought, maybe I'll just stay at work and put in a little overtime.

Q.: what's the difference between...

[Anonymous Coward]

...a skateboarding teenage geek and segway-riding, sidewalk hogging suit?

A.: about $70k per year and the law on their side.