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Segway Hits the Auction Block
fmita writes: "Amazon.com is auctioning off 3 Segways to the public. The proceeds are to go to a foundation started by the inventor. These are the first Segways to go to the public. Since there are only three, they sure aren't cheap." Women drool over a man on a Segway.
the benefits vs the cost just isn't worth it right now. maybe in 10 years or so, when the price comes down and they up the speed.
I apologize for the flamebait here - I love the idea of people whizzing around on the sidewalk at 13mph, but how hard is it to walk down to the bus station/ATM/bar?
Sinepaw.org: Grape Winos
Because people are sheep. Putting a caster on it isn't sexy, blowing a hundred grand in R&D is.
Any other scooter would take up more room (longitudinally) as well. Essentially, it's a space-saving feature. Total footprint is reduced.
Mr. Ska
This auction thing is brilliant because
(1) The publicity is amazing. I was watching morning TV today and it was like a huge infomercial for the Segway
(2) He is getting people to pay a fortune for the privilege of beta-testing the device.
(3) By only selling three, he is taking a leaf from business mastermind Eric Cartman's book. "Only three people get to ride today." The people who bid $100,000 and LOST will gladly pay any price once a few more become available.
My only worry is this: As a teacher, I am going to have to deal with a generation of students who cannot spell "segue".
God is real unless declared integer
Well, I must say that I was quite impressed when they were first featured on TV. The Segway is a pretty cool device. And it may be usefull too, if it weren't for a few major problems.
The first one that comes to mind is its size. Imagine riding this thing during the lunch hour in a crowded downtown area (pick the city of your choice). And you obviously have to ride it on the sidewalk. But it would not be faster (if not slower) than walking, since you wouldn't be moving faster than the rest of the people. It pretty much defeats its purpose in the suburbs or in the industrial parks. There's enough room there just to hop into your car and drive where you want to get.
The second problem, as one of the previous posts mentioned, is what happens when you suddenly hit something (more likely someone). The thing might be self balancing, but I've felt what happens when one of your rollerblades gets stuck in a groove. Your body keeps moving with the same velocity, while one (if not both) feet are firmly planted in the obstacle. A split second later you find yourself lying face forward on the pavement. I see the same thing happening with the Segway.
Third, think of its battery life (I presume it is battery powered)
I think I'll stick to my bycicle for now, thank you.
When I was working helldesk and had to travel between job sites, I had to use the company beater, when a Lamborghini Diablo would have gotten me there way faster.
In a world with unlimited money, we could have unlimited toys. In the real world, we sometimes have to use cheap, simple equipment because we're in harsh industrial climates and you need to either be able to cheaply repair or replace shit. Is an $8000 Segway really that much better than an $80 3-wheeled bike?
Easy does it!
This comment has been submitted already, 276865 hours , 59 minutes ago. No need to try again.
several words...
a caster on a 2 wheeled platform to reduce tipping does not change turning radius by any means. hell put 2 casters on it one front one back.. the turning radius still hasn't changed and you just removed 98% of the cost of the device.
the reason for not having casters and horribly over-engineering the device is to allow it to climb steep inclines without discomforting the rider. that is the only reason... creature comfort.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I sure didn't sue Huffy every time I bit the dust during my early years.
Method of processing duck feet
No. Because YOUR natural reaction is going to be to right yourself, and thus, the Segway will do the same.
People really like to try to outthink this thing, not realizing that regardless of anything you can think of that might "surprise" the Segway into doing something unintended, the fact that YOU are on it and will instinctively try to NOT hit the Bus, is what makes Segway WORK.