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Segway HT Starts Selling
Ninja Master Gara writes "The much-hyped "IT", Dean Kamen's Segway Human Transporter, started selling Monday with a no-refund deposit of $495 on the $4,950 people mover for deliveries starting March 2003 on first come first serve basis.
"The Segway Human Transporter is one of the most famous and anticipated product introductions of all time," Jeff Bezos, chief executive and founder of Amazon.com, said in heralding the availability of the vehicles on the online retailer's site." It's also the most overhyped and overpriced toy ever, and I'm kicking myself for posting it since that just contributes to the problem.
I'll go out and watch yet another way motorists can take you out...
Julie Moult is an idiot.
It's also the most overhyped and overpriced toy ever, and I'm kicking myself for posting it since that just contributes to the problem.
Why did you post it then?
Really though, if you want to get around in areas that a car is not practical, use a bicycle, or walk, and get some exercise while you're at it...
"I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
Sure, the Segway HT has been hyped. Duh. Take a dictionary and look up the word "Marketing". This doesn't make it a bad product.
I can't wait to try one. I expect it to be like the Palmpilot and the original Macs: if you try them, most people "feel" that this is not your average new gadget. Ofcourse I could be wrong.
IT is most likely the Stirling Engine that Kamen has been working on for a long while.
The cheap modern Stirling engine of Kamen's dreams would indeed be an incredible development is it ever comes to fruition.
Once more unto the breach dear friends...
"It's also the most overhyped and overpriced toy ever, and I'm kicking myself for posting it since that just contributes to the problem."
Yeah, far be it from you to listen to your loyal readership who take the time and effort to search the Internet for "Stuff that Matters" to others than just yourself at the same time helping to make your bottom line look a little better.
Overhyped and overpriced is certainly your opinion which I could personally do without. Do you know how much it costs to make one of these? Do you know the specifics of the R & D went into these? I think not.
Do you realize how fantastic an achievement in technology this is? Well, I guess not if you think it's just a "toy". (BTW, Nice lame-ass attempt to trivialize it.) The engineering that went into creating a device that balances the human body while moving forward, backward and turning and most importantly anticipates sudden movements to maintain that balance is fantastic!
Perhaps more important (and certainly undervalued by many) are the potential advances that this type of technology could lead to that we can't foresee right now. (Like this wheelchair that Kamen also invented.
For a nerd who supposedly likes anime, science- fiction, technology, etc. You seem just a little negative and short-sighted.
But of course, these are just my opinions.
Co-founder and designer at Music Nearby: http://musicnearby.com
...I could buy a top of the line custom built titanium bike and have money to spare. The bike would be smaller, lighter, cheaper, easier to maintain, not run out of power, go faster, access more places and give people exercise. Ooops! I said the nasty E word, exercise!
Seriously, it's amazing how much money can be made off of human laziness. People are willing to pay 5000$, along with the effort of maintaining these things, to not have to move their legs
Outdoor digital photography, mostly in New Engl
Uhmm. You have it the wrong way around: 32 states have so far passed legislation that explicitly allow it on sidewalks.
San Francisco plans to fight back, according to this Examiner article. Senior-citizen activists and walkers protested they don't want to share their space with a 95 lb machine traveling 12 mph.
Well while they might be mechanically able to travel at 12 or even 14 MPH, if you check the Segway website they are now using a reference speed of just 9 MPH on sidewalks (presumably it would be even less on dirt paths). If anything I think that is too slow.
Considering marathoners go about 12 MPH, and sprinters go about about 20 MPH and they are both legal on the sidewalk (and most of them weigh over 95 lbs - except the women marathoners) why do they insist on keeping these things so slow if they are supposed to be just as safe as a pedestrians? I never could figure out why they think it will succeed at a speed half of what you can bicycle at comfortably. (Yes, I know bicycles are banned from sidewalks in most places but that is rarely enforced - and bicycles are generally allowed on running paths.)
The point of the Segway was to reduce the number of cars on the road. Cars kill thousands of pedestrians every year, not to mention reducing air quality and making any activity that requires breathing the air outdoors less pleasant and potentially unhealthy. (Though I guess the greenhouse effect has some net positive effect on providing more walkable days weather wise - assuming you don't want to walk along the beach.)
Work for Change & GET PAID!
Maybe the AIBO is even more outrageous seen from a usefulness per money aspect, however there are many more serious disadvantages with such a high price (as any bike-owners in big cities knows).
What kind of munchkin-LOCK are you going to use on a 5 GRAND personal vehicle??? Where're you going to put it so it remains safe? As a bike-owner, I recall I once strolled in a bookstore for 5 minutes. Once I got out, my locked-down bike was a total goner. The thieves never got caught.
Of course, a segway will attract attention, which may scare off some thieves. But are you willing to bet nobody is going to try?
Then there is sabotage and rampage, you better have a special insurance for this baby..
For the money, I'd rather have a Yamaha Zuma, (MSRP $1699). (or Honda or Suzuki equivilent) Plus, it runs on gasoline so I don't have to plug it in for 8 hours to recharge it. I can just pull up to any service station and get another 100+ miles for $2.
So let's recap:
Segway HT: Range 10-15 miles. Top speed 15 mph. Must find electrical outlet to recharge with. Cost - 5,000.
Gasoline Scooter: Range - 100+ miles, easily refilled with gas. Cost - 1,700.
Bicycle: Range: variable. Fuel: biomass. Cost - $200.
Strange, the less it costs, the more sense it makes.
bance.net
Such a device could do wonders for the energy problems of today
:( Consuming smarter includes consuming less.
Well, sort of. Stirling engines run on fossil fuels so even though they're up to twice as efficient as internal combustion engines, they still emit greenhouse gasses.
A common fallacy is that various improvements in technology will result in resource savings. For a given individual that might be true but overall, technology causes an increase in consumption. The energy problems of today will only be solved by reduced consumption. It's real hard to consume our way out of a problem caused by increased consumption!
Put another way, we're always looking for a way to twiddle with the details to preserve our way of life, when our way of life itself is killing us. Energy is an addiction. But it's less destructive than smoking, so the fact that quite a few people are getting around to looking at it as an addiction shows evolution of a sort.
Cars also rush people to hospitals, haul merchandise and contribute to the economy, provide transportation for millions of commuters every day, etc. etc. etc. And don't think recharging those Segway batteries happenes through the magical non-polluting electricity power plant.
Pollution goes down once people decide to live 5 miles from work, and not 45, and we'll also get a ton of urban planning benefits. Everything else is just shifting pollution from one source to another.
Side note: I'm surprised this got modded to "insightful" when it seems to just be a promotional Amazon redirect link for commission.
Sleep is for the Weak
Because death is a part of travel. We drive cars that kill thousands a year, you die crossing the streat, tripping and all that. Everything has a risk value. This one doesn't seem to be any greater.
Do we really need a replacement for walking? It seems to me that bicycles fit the bill quite nicely, with public transport coming up right behind. I have to admit, I live in NYC and have never felt that I walk too much. What we need is a replacement for cars. Make this thing faster and lower to the ground and then... wait, that's a motorcycle. Just seems like a solution without a problem. The inventor is an arrogant monster too. Trying to change the laws in cities so the fools with these things can endanger our lives on the sidewalks.
Considering marathoners go about 12 MPH, and sprinters go about about 20 MPH and they are both legal on the sidewalk
Dude, legal maybe but come on.. When have you ever seen someone sprinting 20MPH down a busy sidewalk? I may have come close a few times trying to catch the early bus but that is NOT an easy task. I imagine if more people were actually sprinting down the sidewalk it would become a nuisance and probably illegal.
Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
As cool as these segways may be the price is astronomical but understandable when we consider the engineer behind it. This does bring up the issue of people stealing Segways or worse yet "jacking" them as they say in the hood. I bet that within the 1st 6 months someone will have this happend to them and get their assed kicked in the process. Anyone? You'd think that with all his whiz-bangery Mr Kamen would conceive of an out of this world security technology to mate with this =). nobbist
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ride a Segway last April. It was by far one of the most amazing things I have ever had the oppurtunity to experience. I was only able to ride it for about 15 min. And after about 3 minutes it is already more natural that walking. Those who have placed all these posts bad mouthing it should wait till they get the oppurtunity to ride one. After that I am sure that most of their opinions will change. If I wasn't a poor student I would have ordered one early this morning.
I think the key point that just about everyone I've seen posting so far is missing is this.
The Segway was not developed primarily for the consumer.
If you look through their website, they have already implemented the Segway mostly in industrial and commercial applications.
They're only starting to sell the Segway to consumers now because this is the second phase of the project.
Although the applications of the Segway in some communities as a personal mobility device may be limited, I doubt that we will fail to see it successfully implemented in various divisions of labor.
AA
She's 65, lives close to a downtown core, and her eyesight is getting bad enough that driving a car is becoming problematic, or will in the next couple of years. Segway would be a good solution for her.
Try to look outside yourself when you judge the worth of a product.
On the whole, I find that I prefer Slashdot posts to twitter ones because I don't get limited to 140 chars before
I have not ridden one, but I was very impressed with how Disney employees managed them in very heavy crowds. They were able to zip around and through some of the heaviest of gawking tourists (toughest kind of crowd) without any issues. If Disney trusts them not to cause lawsuits, I think that says a LOT!
And I really mean no offense to your Mom when i say this...
Her eyesight is bad enough driving a car? How about her reaction time? Attention span? One, if not all of these might not bode well for her motorized segue future...
You need a FREE iPod Nano
I agree with you about the sweaty thing being a nice aspect, but what I whish we would do is, instead of making ways for us to get around without sweating, why don't we make it more convenient to clean up after getting sweaty? I live 12 miles from where I work, in Connecticut, so I know about traffic, and it is this traffic that makes me wish I could ride my bike to work, but being the profuse sweater that I am, I could not got to work once I got to work (did that make sense?) There is a company health club (really big company...) but it is 2.5 miles from my desk. If one of the bathrooms in my building (or even anywhere near my building) had a shower, I would ride my bike to work whenever there is no snow on the ground... but instead I sit in traffic getting pissed off, just like everyone else, and then I spend an hour exercising after I get home. Doesn't make much sense, does it?
"I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
Hmmm...does it have a Mr. Fusion?
Seems to me you would have to charge the fucker everyday...where does that electricity come from? Oh that's right - the power plant isn't in your backyard - fuckstick.
I can't wait for the insurance companies to make this thing an insurance nightmare.
"It's also the most overhyped and overpriced toy ever..."
This coming from the owner of an Aibo.
C'mon Rob, you'd pay $1400 for a stupid plastic dog, but you think a transporter has no use or function? Thanks for your input, but I think I'll trust Jeff Bezos over you. He does know a thing or two about selling things...
Next, on the price, yes it's high, but we all know it will come down with greater mass production.
Yes, I have a (very) nice bike that cost less than half this, but bikes have their limitations. A lot of Americans seem to be forgetting that bicycles are not legal on most if not all sidewalks (for good reason). That leaves the street, which for many, is not a safe alternative. In my town, riding to work is a dangerous exercise. I do it occasionally in the warmer months but not without plenty of honks and screams (e.g. "Get the f*ck out of the road") from passing cars. (Even though bikes are legally allowed the far lane of traffic according to my state's laws)
The segway, on the other hand, IS probably safe for sidewalks, since it maneuver like a human and not like a bike, scooter, etc. This isn't about exercise folks. You CANT ride a bicycle in a busy pedestrian path without running over feet and hitting people. Ditto for rollerblades. Dean and friends probably would have made a human-powered one if they could have, but that wasn't really a design point.
It pains me to see everyone scoff at it without knowing anything about it or actually having seen/ridden it. There are probably more engineering man-hours into this thing than in the average human lifespan, and by some of the best engineers in the country. Reading the spec sheet is like reading about the space shuttle. C'mon, at worst case, this is the ultimate geek toy, and at best, it might be useful to a lot of people in a lot of places in the world.
$5000 of course is way too high, but I might pay $500. Maybe by then it'll be stirling powered as well. In the mean time, I'll wait to criticize until I have actual facts. Oh yeah, I guess this is slashdot. Nevermind then...
It's called a bicycle. It's proven technology, costs about one tenth of a Segway, is much more comfortable (you don't stand on it, you sit), doesn't need to be charged, can be locked outside, etc., etc...
The only reason Segways are economically viable right now is that laws have been passed to let them use city sidewalks. Most cities haven't caught on to this yet, and won't catch on until March. But already city officials in both New Jersey and San Francisco are upset about Segways. This is the tip of the iceberg.
The point of the Segway was to reduce the number of cars on the road.
Yes, I know that's the hype they've been using in their round-the-country marketing sessions. How unusual, when all the other corporations just try to make money. BTW, what's up with that Buy-Segway-Give-Me-Commission link in your sig?
Making trouble today for a better tomorrow...
The news story we are commenting on is not "Segway invented." It is "Segway for sale." If someone is thinking about buying a Segway, that person should consider the speculation about reliability, insurance, state laws, public acceptance (whether or not the thing is *perceived* as safe). Because you could end up with a $5000 vehicle you use everywhere, or you could end up with a $5000 doorstop.
Making trouble today for a better tomorrow...
It was by my own request. I actually had one run into me (at a low speed), and had it run over my foot (at a low speed).
This was to test the claims of safety that 1: the automatic braking stops the vehicle before momentum is transferred and 2, the wheels are large and soft enough to absorb most of the weight of the device.
I am pleased to announce that I still have full use of my foot, and it did not knock me down (I am a 6'1 man who weighs 150 lbs.) A wheel rolling over my foot hurt a heck of a lot less than if that same person stepped on my foot. And again, this thing is so agile and can be operated so slowly and carefully that it would be very hard to run over a foot by accident.
So people, conjecture all you like, and draw comparisons to bicycles and skateboards, but learn HOW this device works before you argue to ban it.
I've actually had it hit me. Can anyone else here say that? It has a rubber-padded handlebars that contacted my shoulder first. Contact with my shoulders forced it upright, whereupon it stopped immediately and broke no traction with the ground. These aren't skid-brakes, they are anti-lock regenerative brakes. Had it been going faster, it would have hit me with LESS force than a man travelling at the same speed.
People picture these things whizzing up and down a sidewalk at full speed, or picture bicycle speeds. A segway in crowded situations reqiures slower speeds than bicycles. But unlike bicycles that become uncontrolable at low speeds, the Segway retains control. I saw one operating in literally shoulder-to-shoulder pedestrian traffic at Disneyland. Children in front of it, and old folks to the sides of it, in a sea of people, and it was perfectly safe. Try that with a bike or skateboard. Anywhere it is safe to use a wheelchair, it is safe to use a segway.
The only things to worry about with these things is people who use them unsafely. But that's a personal responsibility issue, and a personal liability issue, and that exists already with bikes, skateboards, roller-skates, walking, etc. I'd expect the Libertarian Slashdot Brigade would at least accept THAT argument!