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Recall of Segway Announced by CPSC
mshiltonj writes "The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a voluntary recall of the Segway human transporter. The hazard is that under certain operating conditions, particularly when the batteries are near the end of charge, some Segway HTs may not deliver enough power, allowing the rider to fall. This can happen if the rider speeds up abruptly, encounters an obstacle, or continues to ride after receiving a low-battery alert."
some Segway HTs may not deliver enough power, allowing the rider to fall. This can happen if the rider speeds up abruptly, encounters an obstacle, or continues to ride after receiving a low-battery alert.
or if the rider is fresh from a tennis match with Poppy, rushing to an appointment to bomb some unsuspecting nation back to the stone age.
I'm much funnier now that I'm a subscriber.
If you continue to ride after the low battery alert, it's your own dumbass fault if you get hurt.
It's like saying it's Fords fault your engine died because you didn't check your oil.
Gibble: Descriptive of an emotional state in which one's mind is scrabbling for some purchase on reality
It looks like there's going to be 3 very dissapointed people out there.
Seriously, though, this is a problem with most vehicles when they run out of fuel/charge. No battery guage on a Segway, I assume or just user error?
$#!^ happens, but why does it always have to happen to me???
Does this have anything to do with the size of the rider? If you continually fall off your Segway, maybe it's just a sign to GET OFF AND WALK for awhile.
There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
George Bush is finally vindicated. Turns out the batteries were dying.
Q: What is "IT"?
A: Potentially dangerous
Perhaps the most interesting thing in this recall is that it provides information
about the total number of Segway's out there: 6,000. Given that Amazon
sells them about $5,000 that means that there are $30M of Segways out there.
Of course many were probably sold below that price and Segway LLC will be sharing
that with the retailer, but still not bad for scooter.
Second, interesting thing is that the problem is fixed by a *software upgrade*
and not something physical.
John.
I didn't know people used the segway to go though military training courses.
I am a fisherman, and I fish out in the North Sea, near oil-rigs. I mainly fish for crabs but generally sell anything I catch. On my small boat is a laptop with Linux installed, which is running open source software for controlling the electronical fishing rods, which hauntingly swing and sway above the cold blue surface of the sea.
While I find being able to administer my fiashing rods from the powerful BASH shell both efficient, safe and empowering, this software has a bug which causes a huge 20 farad capacitor in the rod to discharge into the ocean at random intervals. The voltage induced is so large that it causes various potentially hazardous metals to be come electroplated to the hull of my ship. Often by the time I reach harbour my ship is so laden with electrolysed metal that it is barely bouyant, and occasionally I am not allowed entry.
This is killing my buisnes. While I love the ideals of Linux, the inherent instability is not tolerable. So I am asking, are there any quality fishing-rod control programs available for Windows or Apple operating systems?
Thanks in advance... sorry for the OT-ness...
Beats old age I suppose.
Honestly, shouldn't they recall this thing not because of the battery problems but because IT IS THE DUMBEST INVENTION THUS FAR IN THE 21st CENTURY?
I bet all 6 people who bought this must be like those who buy those commemerative plates. It sounds cool but then they get it in the mail and they are like "Oh my god, it is just a plate with a very stupid picture on it".
No trees were harmed in the composition of this; however, numerous electrons were inconvenienced.
frost spit
I love the imagery involved in this..
*VROOM* *VROOM* *put* *put* *put* *creeeeek* *thump* OW!
Heh
For every problem, there is at least one solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
All 5 owners have been contacted
Damn. Nobody ever recalled a poor boy's bicycle because it fall sideways when the riders energy runs out.
This seems obvious if you know just a little bit about how the Segway works. I know it's this "hip" invention, but if you're dumb enough to be riding it around and not notice that the battery is really low, you might just BREAK a hip.
That said, despite being this yuppie-esque way to get around, the concept is pretty neat. I just know I wouldn't want to fall off this thing. Good for the CPSC, good for the consumer. Interesting story.
"The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a voluntary recall of the Segway human transporter..."
For a moment, I thought they were referring to a human teleporter...
...suck! Take that scooters!
now if they would recall pretzels, George W will be OK...
Unsafe at any speed!
hehehe, reminds me of an old joke:
What do michael and segways have in commone?
Nothing, but michael is a flaming faggot!
This just proves that the Segway is doomed to fail! It wasn't all that! It sucks! I told you so! Blah blah blah!
I'm new to slashdot. Did i get it right?
Duh.
they can probably just call the three people who bought one and warn them personally.
Sounds like someone didn't include enough tolerance in the design constraints!
Oh Segway, you seemed so promising.
Battery Not Found.
philcrissman.com.
HAHAHAHHAhahahahhaHAHAHA that will teach those pussy segway riders who were laughing at me while I had to walk over the brooklyn bridge during the blackout. I hope they fall flat on their faces! muhahaha!
Something about defying the laws of nature, should
I mean, how far can you go after you get an 'alert'? Can you drive it home to recharge it or do you have to beg for an electrical outlet so you don't have to drag your heavy, expensive, silly toy home?
$#!^ happens, but why does it always have to happen to me???
Your probably to lazy to get off your ass to use it.
And your definenitely to lazy to send it back for a recall.
Maybe this is what caused ole "W" to fall off his segway. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2989000. stm
Was it his batteries or his ineptness? Something tells me it wasn't the batteries....
Under certain operating conditions, if you lean over more than a few degrees while wearing your Reebok Human Transporters, the balancing mechanism may fail, causing the rider to fall. The CPSC has issued a voluntary recall of all Reebok Human Transporter products.
-3Suns
~~~~
The Revolution will be Slashdotted
The Solution in Search of a Problem that is the Segway is inherantly unstable, and has to burn power just to stand still (balancing at an unstable equilibrium point).
That when the power starts to drain, the device becomes unstable (as the motors no longer have enough power to keep it upright after a mild upset) is hardly suprising, and indicitive of the fundimentally stupid design (but fantastic engineering) that is the segway.
Test your net with Netalyzr
your car will stop running when it runs out
of gas. DUH!
if the segway is low on power charge it.
whats so hard about that?
speed up abruptly = lean forward. rider fall = FLAT ON HIS FACE.
watch your step.. oh yeah, i always wanted fp.
Toyota recalled all cars manafactured since the start of the company. Under certain circumstances, when speeding up, ignoring a warning about a cliff and not braking, the car might fall down from a great heigth and kill the occupants. According to Hiyasuka Miamoto, official Toyota spokesperson, the recall will be effective immediately and no new cars will be produced "untill people stop being so fucking stupid!".
Moral of the story; warnings are called warnings for a reason.
Hate me!
I thought segway is for people who already fell onto their heads.
That's SCO/GNU/Linux to you, sunshine!
CNN is running an article claiming that some of the tech companies are finally catching on to other ueses for wifi. They've finally realized the market desire to connect stereos, televisions and PCs into home entertainment network. The current crop of wifi-enabled devices -- a Gatway DVD player that can stream video and audio from PC to your entertainment system and Sony's flat-screen TV that uses wifi to beam satellite or cable feeds to other TVs -- fall short by not allowing the user access to web browsing or lack of interoperability with other wifi devices in general. Intel and Texas Instruments are also looking at making wifi-enabled cell phones.
I wonder how much longer all of those Rascals and Lark old-people scooters will be around before getting recalled. As shown on "Jackass," if an old person is going down the courthouse steps or down a hilly sidewalk on one and the batteries are low they are begging for a hip replacement.
As much as I love seeing rich people fall on their faces, I hate seeing technology fail because of poor testing.
Why didn't this come up before now? Because ravenous marketing monsters couldn't wait to start selling "THE NEXT BIG THING".
Even if they were reasonably priced, I can't see what they're really good for anyway. They're too fast for sidewalks, too slow for streets and let the world know you've got more money than sense!
i think if they just add a couple more wheels it will be stable even if the batteries get low ;)
That this is the first recall of the Segway. For a product of this complexity, there are bound to be some bugs showing up, and this one seems pretty minor.
So, I'm riding along on my self powered segway that battery powered gyros to keep itself upright and I get a low battery warning and I ignore it. Then I get all upset when the thing pitches me off like a ragdoll to test the local dirt.
;-)
Hmm, I think that S in CPSC should be for Stupidity...
Note to stupid people... Firstly, if you've got too much money, I can help you with this problem
Secondly, I highly recommend you never get fitted with a pace maker... as you expire your dying words will be something like "Damn, I guess the doctor wasn't lying, the battery really is only good for 5 years..."
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
Okay, so hopefully the next generation of Segways will have a little USB port so you can do your own firmware updating.
They need to put airbags on those things - someone could get hurt!
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
In related news, Boeing is recalling it's 747 and later series aircraft because of a condition they may experience after the low-fuel warning has gone off. If operation continues, the aircraft may have a harder time handeling turbulance, eventually crashing to earth. Also involved in this recall are all pre-747 aircraft.
If they've only sold 6000, why does it seem everything the company does is announced to half a billion people via the national and world news outlets?
Units: Approximately 6,000
That's pretty sad given the original estimates from a few years ago.
"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." - Jack Nicholson
I just heard some sad news on talk radio - revolutionary personal transportation system/overpriced, underpowered gimmick the Segway Human Transporter was found dead at the Consumer Product Safety Commission this morning. There weren't any more details. I'm sure everyone in the Slashdot community will miss it - even if you didn't buy it or buy into the hype about it, there's no denying^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H it's easy to deny its contributions to popular culture. Truly an American icon.
Opinions on the Twiddler2 hand-held keyboard?
Are you saying that if my car battery runs out of juice, I can expect to be picking up my teeth out from between the subway grating?
when my Harley runs out of gas i allways fall over...
In other news, bicycles around the world have been voluntarily recalled. It seems that if the rider stops moving their feet, the bike could potentially tip over. A minor flaying of the skin has also been reported to occur during such accidents.
For something as expensive and computer dependant as the segway, they should have an easy an inexpensive way to distribute customer-installable "patches"
Oops, damn, there goes another pedestrian....
Making trouble today for a better tomorrow...
You know, that started as a joke in my head, but you do have to wonder why they didn't put a small third wheel on there somewhere always touching the ground but on a hing so that it would only actually bear weight if the thing tipped too far.
Then again, I suppose the market droids couldn't have pushed it so hard as the next big thing if it didn't just have two wheels... Hard to look like an adult when you're basically whizzing around on a tricycle.
Quoth he
"It's all academic anyway..."
Caution is advised whenever you must make contact with any floor. The recomended uses of a floor now include laying and sitting. The safety of crawling on a floor is being studied at this time.
In other news the Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division is recommending that the government Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide.
Your friend and well-wisher
m0smithslash
http://www.ferociousflirting.com
How old are you? Lemme guess, 3? Go back to watching TeleTubbies and stop playing on daddy's computer.
Dean Kamen, is that you? You ol' rascall!
From what I saw on south park, they may also cause intense pain in the anal region if used with gusto. Glad I have not bought one yet, oh yeah wait...I am unemployed and broke. Thanks IT!
In other news the first Segway accident to claim more than 1000 lives occured early this morning just outside of atlanta.
Typical Segway user.
Umm, wouldn't it have been easier to just recharge the batteries than recall them all when the batteries run down? ;-)
Segway Error 404:
Battery Not Found.
segwayfinder.verisign.com:
We didn't find "yoursegwaybattery.com"
There is no battery at this address.
455fe10422ca29c4933f95052b792ab2
I don't find it interesting that a software upgrade fixes the problem.
Software upgrades are the cheapest fix for any system problem. This is why they are almost always required by devices. We (companies, not specifically Segway) can ship products early with solid hardware and must less solid software because the cost of fixing problems in software are so minimal.
This software fix probably just shuts down the scooter earlier before the battery runs all the way out. A few cars do the same with gas so that people are driving at 70mph don't loose power breaks and stearing when the engine starts studdering.
Hardware fixes can often cost more then direct replacement of the product. A simple printer circuit board rework could cost $50 each to just disassemble a product, cut a trace and reassemble it. That doesn't include the cost to ship the product back to the manufacture or to a rework house somewhere in the US.
Flash is cheap and almost all companies use it to fix sw problems in the field and work around hardware problems.
This is evidence of a flaw in modern thought. This is why new drugs can barely make it past FDA while smoking remains legal.
Just because it's new means it has to be safe, and perfect. I say we abondon this whole heartily. It's time for products to be dangerous again. Consumers need to be informed of the dangers, and they can take their lives into their own hands. It's our soppy, pany-waste sissy society's fault, and I for one am FED UP.
Give me the information, and let me decide. I don't want to be protected from products, I want to be informed about them and decide my own level of risk.
My Linux Command of the Day site : LCOD
This just in!
Boeing has issued a voluntary recall on several of their airplanes. It seems that they have discovered a high fatality rate if the pilot continues to fly the plane after the 'low fuel' warning!
It wasn't my fault honey come backkk :'(
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
and can't get up...
somebody had to say it
If you are too lazy to keep your Segway (sic) charged, then I think you should throw away all your battery operated devices. Seriously, do these "certain operating conditions" include User Stupidity? or did they not RTFM? These things are supposed to last up to 25 kilometers on a single charge.
OK - who stole my duct tape?
I thought this was a feature... people with enough money to buy a $3000 scooter, but not smart enough to stop riding it when a warning light comes on get tossed on their face if they rapidly accellerate or try to drive over a log. What was the problem again? We can only hope that the fix will prevent it from happening only when no camcorder is detected within focal distance.
666-607: 6th floor apartment of the beast
Bicycles are being recalled. It seems that under certain operating conditions, particularly when the rider is nearly exhausted, the rider may not deliver enough power, allowing him/her to fall.
or consider mocking the President or laugh when someone else mocks the President or even think of laughing when someone else mocks the President, then the terrorists win. You're giving aid and comfort to America's enemies. Now just step away from the computer and wait for your Guantanamo relocation expert who will be there shortly.
My guess is that they tested this feature on either fresh or properly maintained batteries. Once It got out in the real world and people started abusing the batteries (letting them run all the way down, etc), the batteries no longer performed as the software expected. The battery probably falls from "somewhat low" to "dump you on your butt" too quickly.
I volunteered to do the software upgrade on ours (my companies). No go, but at least I will get to watch the tech and see what this thing looks like inside.
Not so much a sig as a lack of one.
And I don't want anybody to say that we didn't warn you. We sure enough warned you.
This is not action by a court. This is not a lawsuit. This is action by a governmental regulatory body under George W. Bush. If they are acting under Bush, this must be a humongous problem.
In my opinion, proper use of a Segway will probably require at least a helmet.
Anyone remember the "HYPE" of "GINGER"? Oh my gosh. "Revolutionary", "We're not sure what it is, but it fits in a backpack and is going to change transportation as we know it." Those were phrases on the tips of everyone's tongue a few years ago.
Once the segway finally was revealed it was a huge downer. So it's a scooter you stand on instead of sit down on. Big deal. I hope we get true innovation someday in the mass transportation sector.
Maybe Gary Coleman should advertise himself as a Segway replacement.
I would be interested in knowing how the Segway get's it's software upgrade.
Perhaps the XBox team could come up with a Linux distro for it.
Imaging a Beowulf cluster of Segways all rolling down the street in perfect synchrony.
Consipiracists sense a Microsoft plot.
SCO sues someone involved.
-dB
"It if was easy to do, we'd find someone cheaper than you to do it."
"I've fallen... and I can't get up..."
Funny what happens when your amazing balancing anti-walking machine runs out of juice. And once you've picked yourself up off your ass/face, you get to lug your 90lb, $5000 machine someplace safe.
The humble bicycle, as if there was any doubt, clearly reigns supreme in this class of transportation. For getting around town comfortably, get a comfortable bike. For working around the warehouse, get a work bike or trike. And if you would like the electric assistance without your vehicle becoming useless when the battery runs out, get an electric bike. It's just that easy people.
---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?
*Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* "What's that?" *Hmmmmmmmmmm* *creeeeeek* *thump* "OW!"
After hearing Segway LLC's announcement today, angry Californians tried to shove Governor Gray Davis into a Segway box this morning, hoping that this recall would be more effective than the current one. One man, who thought the Segway recall would be more helpful then the California recall election, stated "I hope this software update allows Gov. Davis to become more like that robot from Terminator 3, who was an upgrade of the T1000 in Terminator 2." Arnold Schwarzenegger was noted as saying "The Total Recall of Segways is crucial to the state of California. Gray Davis is now Collateral Damage, and his True Lies have come to an end. And that Huffington lady is a bitch."
If your scooter runs out of batteries, it won't work anymore. Fucking retards
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
I refer you to this comic, in which this *very same* flaw in the 'Smegway' is part of an evil plot to take over the world! My god, it's true! But... but... if Sluggy Freelance is ture, then that means Santa is actually an EVIL ALIEN!!! AAAAAAHHHHH!!!
Many localities require you (or maybe just your children) to wear a helmet when you ride a bike or skate, in order to protect your head from injury. Because people are too stupid or too beautiful to decide to wear a helmet on their own.
I'm not in favor of pumping more laws out there (100 years from now...people will be reading section 520.C subparagraph 5, sentence 2: "All Segway riders shall be required to wear proper helmets" to which our future friends will say "what the f**k is a Segway?")....so....
Why can't the CPSC just tell consumers that it's in their best interests to wear a helmet when they ride their Segway, and if they don't and they get injured, then they can just f**king deal with it.
come on people. it's not magic. It's battery powered. you didn't realize when the batteries died the thing would fall over?
The decision we made when we designed the thing was based on the idea that people would stop riding it when the battery low light came on. Since then we've realized a few things:
1) People treat battery low as "still works under all conditions" as they might if it were a gas tank. But the battery is unable to deliver the instantaneous power needed to go over certian obstacles when partially discharged.
2) The battery low signal is set too low, since even a mild partial discharge will not supply enough instantaneous power for critical maneuvers.
3) Li-Ion batteries are dieing in a pattern which we did not expect. The processor needs to assume there is less power available than what it was previously calculating.
Upshot: The software "upgrade" will give you about 10 minutes of ride time on a full charge before turning on the low battery light, then the alarm. Shortly thereafter the unit will stop in place and use its remaining power simply to stay upright.
Internal memo: Design an "upgrade" battery pack that doubles the range to 20 minutes! We'll make a killing!
-Adam
They'll call it the "seg-trike".
Clearly, my car needs to be recalled. When I run out of gas, it just stops.
This could be dangerous on the highway!
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
You're getting a little "it won't hurt anything but your pride if you run out of oil" feedback from your comparison.
How about likening it to running out of gas *and* getting flats on a scooter at the same time. It might be closer because you lose your ability to balance as well as mobility.
Obviously, if you continue to try to ride it, you're, uhm, well...
That should not be a 404, it should come back with:
"NXBATTERY"
I really am suprised that the author did not know any better.
"I'm much funnier now that I'm a subscriber."
Having just read your post, I can say, unequivocally, that are either not funnier or you were about as funny as an old lady with AIDS having a heart attack in a coma.
"My segway goes 60 miles/hour!"
VROOM!
"Oh yeah?, mine runs Linux!"
VROOM!
"Oh yeah! Mine runs Windows Server 2003 64bit Edition!"
BOOM!
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
I recently saw a couple of teen girls at a gas-station who had just destroyed their engine because they did not know the oil pressure lamp is a vital warning. However, they remained unhurt.
With Segway and low battery, the user WILL fall. Therefore, there must be an alarm to alert the driver and software control to safely stop. Also, the software must not allow the device to have a startup surge that reduces the battery voltage below a safe control level.
The fix is a software fix, because all of the analog sensing is done using a micro-controller.
An over-ride could allow forward motion, but at a controlled speed and acceleration surges moderated.
(An alternate solution would be to provide airbags both front and back which deploy if the loaded vehicle starts falling. A solution, and not meant to be funny.)
Of course once your Segway runs out of juice and flips you into an intersection you end up buying Dean Kamen's other big invention...
but...but, where are my cities?! they didn't get a chance to build the cities around this life changing transportation device!
R.I.P.
read this as "Seagate Human Transferer"? For a second there, I thought Seagate went into a new market of making teleporter machines.
As of 10/06/03, I hate COBOL developers.
It isn't right to tell a child that they must always remember to check the power light on their scooter, or they could fall off and die.
Holy fucking shit, they might DIE??? We must recall the Segway, string up the whole design team, flay the government saftety officials that approved the design...
Oh wait, they could DIE from falling the wrong way down the stairs? Or even walking across the street?
To put it another way, while your post has a sliver of value, your emotionally laden words are both trite and pathetic. Please, do us all a favor and come back when you want to post something less sickening.
Catastrophic faliure of the gyros in combination with a hard application of the brakes may cause ball wracking.
The inventor of the Segway should hang his head in shame. He has put his own greed above the safety of human life.
Oh for chrissakes spare the melodrama, OK?
If it was just a matter of greed and not stupididy he would have put a fix in his machine so that the machine would not run at all with low batteries. As it stands, the inventor is now liable for injuries.
Sounds to me like the inventor was just stupid.
Mod down people who tell people how to mod in their sigs
If a car runs out of the gas, it doesn't toss you out the door.
If they said the segway can be ridden with the low battery light on, then they should hace expected this.
Now I'm going to go out, buy a motorcycle, and ignore the gas gauge!
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
-- SPOILER ALERT --
It was a joke. They were making a joke based on the low-sales-rate of the Segway.
When moving, a bicycle is inherantly stable, as there are two aligned gyroscopes keeping it going forward. It's only unstable when not moving or nearly not moving. Even when stopped, it is only ustable perpendicular to the direction of motion.
The segway, on the other hand, is ALWAYS unstable along the axis of motion, and the farther you get away from the stable point, the more force it takes to bring it back to being stable.
Test your net with Netalyzr
The real problem here is not the Segway. Its that damn gravity stuff. I swear, Newton has got a lot to answer for. Just think how much stuff you have broken all because of Newtons Gravity gizmo. Gravity sucks
but they'll have to redesign cities... AGAIN!
Does this mean that the new Segway 2.0 Extreme Edition Ginger Unleashed will be out soon?
Segway LCC is informing Segway HT owners by written letter of a voluntary recall to install new Version 12.0 software in all human transporters. Segway has filed it's intent with the US Consumer Products Safety Commission. The CSPC is a central source for manufacturers to coordinate necessary safety recall improvements to outstanding products.
A program of installing Version 12.0 software has already begun. All Segway HT machines in inventory at both Segway LLC and Segway Experience have been given the Version 12.0 software enhancement. The software will direct the human transporter to notify the rider earlier when the battery power is nearing a level when the power is not adequate to notify the rider of an impending safety shutdown.
All Segway owners will be contacted by written letter explaining the procedure that will bring the Version 12.0 software to their Segway HT. There is an information hotline 1-877-889-9020 from 8am to 8pm weekdays. There is no cost to the Segway HT owner for this software Version 12.0 enchancement. Customers of Segway Experience may call without cost, leave a question, and expect a prompt response. Or email questions to info@segwayexperience.net Having test riden the Version 12.0 software installed we can report there is no discernible change in the operation of the Segway HT and the added knowledge of a even safer riding experience. Electric batteries tend to have reduced capacity in cooler weather than warm weather.
Am I the only one who thought of the old Flash Gordon, with the flying Jet-Skis replaced by flying Segways, and Ming's troops falling screaming to their doom as Gordon laughs on and points to his 'Energizer' battery?
Just wondering...
You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.
He was driving the segway that we gave to him for his 90th birthday.
First thing you know, he ignores the battery warning and continues on driving to the nearest drug store to stock up on Pringles.
The poor man tried to accelerate while encountering an obstacle. Needless to stay that he fell right on his back. Thing is, the segway fell on him and punctured his only remaining lung. Poor man, we will miss him.
When the paramedics saw him with his segway they laugh so hard that their rubber gloves bacame all sweaty and they actually dropped him while carrying him to the ambulance.
I'd love to see you say that to the family of the first person a Segway kills.
Cars, motorcycles, and other transportation methods tend to have enough stability through their unpowered designs to survive without harm (under most conditions) if they lose power while being used. A problem with devices like a Segway is that once the power fails or they're pushed beyond their limits, you're screwed. Most road vehicles can coast, most planes can glide (if poorly), but a Segway: lose power and splat.
According to the Washington City Paper , the Segway can also run away from "stupid users" who step off of it without powering it off. This led to a dangerous situation in Washington's subway, which has led to a ban on the devices in the Metrorail system:
I'd call that a pretty serious design problem.
Man, I looked at the video clips for this...the people using these things just look really gay!
This must truely be for the lazy, fat, couch potato types. (walking to the mailbox is just WAY too much exercise for me!)
I don't care...mod me down...hahahaha
eMelody Web Directory add your site today!
don't step on SHT and you don't fall down!
Creationists are a lot like zombies. Slow, but powerful and numerous. And they all want to eat our brains.
According to Wired, Kamen had predicted he'd be "stamping out 10,000 machines a week" by the end of 2002.
Making trouble today for a better tomorrow...
My car doesn't fall over if it runs out of gas.! :-)
If this thing is supposed to revolutionize the way entire cities are built I guess that means they're going to have padded sidewalks!
Clearly this problem should have come up during the design and prortype phase? Shouldn't it have?
LOL!
You can't blame this on user stupidity. They are trying to sell the bicycle to children. It isn't right to tell a child that they must always remember to check the chain on their bicycle, or they could fall off and die. They're only kids.
A bicycle is different than a car or a motorcycle or a Segway. A bicycle is not balanced by four tires or by futuristic solid state gyroscopes. It is balanced only by the work of the user. If the user runs out of energy for any reason, there will be no balance.
The bicycle is the only land vehicle in the world what can injure a passenger simply by stopping. That is totally unacceptable.
A good safety feature would be a software modification that prevents the bicycle from moving forward or backward when the user's energy is low. That is the only way to ensure that there is enough energy left in the user to keep the bicycle balanced. Unfortunately, it will mean riders will be stranded wherever they are with a lightweight machine and no way to easily move it.
Today, the bicycle is exposed. The inventor of the bicycle should hang his head in shame. He has put his own greed above the safety of human life.
Ever buy baby toys and furniture? I guarantee the warnings are a result of lawsuits. My favorites are warnings to not disassemble while the the baby is in the chair, do not use the rocker on stairs and etc.
In this litigous society you not only have to compensate for possible accidents but also for intentional incidents that resemble accidents.
Hell, how many years have their been warnings on cigarrettes? The only dumbasses are Americans for putting up with this litigous abuse.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
Mongoose announces massive recall, siting danger of falling.
ascii art
Btw, the bicycle is NOT the only land vehicle in the world in which you can be injured by stopping. If you stop your car on the freeway, you'll get hurt, and you might die. If you stop your bicycle on the street and you fall to the left (or right for some folks), you'll get run over and you will probably die. Etc etc. Don't be a hater.
Too bad the fix is just a software upgrade... seems like they could add a retractable "nose wheel" that would deploy on low battery situations.
I mean really... who wants to land their Segway in a full stall anyway?
--Rob
When I leave on a trip, be it short or long, I always check my gas level and make sure my lights, brakes, etc. work. It's common sense.
Falling off aside, if my battery/alternator is bad and it's a rainy night, it's my own fault if I get stranding in outer Bogonia. Same goes for fuel, brakes, and radiator.
This issue does point out a flaw with some very reasonable solutions (slow and stop upon low battery or even a third wheel stabilisation to allow the gyros to be turned off-drops/extends from the back).
Too much fodder for the basshers here.
"School Paste, it's what's for dinner!"
I'd tell them to their face "What the FUCK kind of parent are YOU that you would let your kid play on a Segway unsupervised or FAIL to teach him/her the proper use of the machine."
Ave Molech Setting
You could hear Arnold say "Yeah, I'm all for it..Wait.. oh it's the Segway"
So what you're saying is that it's safer for that same car to lose power brakes and steering at 70mph/a predetermined gas level than to send a warning signal and let the vehicle run out of gas on its own? Just checking...
Do all the Segway owners with atrophied leg muscles and rotund asses get a loaner unit while their unit is in for repair?
It would be simply cruel to expect them to transport themselves under their own muscle power due to a defect in the Segway.
If you're too stupid to put a foot on the ground when you start tipping, yeah, I'd expect to be losing teeth all over the place.
"Verbing weirds language." -- Calvin
This is funny, someone must be very afraid to kill an oil dependent economy. The technology has been here for long time; electric, hydrogen, natural gas, wind, solar, etc. yet no politician or development plan will commit to this seriously, not even for public transportation. This is a can of worms that goes well beyond the automotive industry; at least they are trying to improve thanks to Japan's hybrid cars.
...hmmm... if the device runs short of power, it sounds as if it can in effect pull your feet out from under you. (Actually, it's falling to push your feet under you). That sounds like a fairly unpleasant and dangerous kind of fall, similar to being tripped.
On a bicycle, it's easy and natural to take your foot off the pedal and put it on the ground; ditto a scooter. But perhaps it's not so easy when you're standing upright with both feet on the device.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
John Ashcroft will personally be by in a few minutes to take you to Guantanamo.
Oh, well that's fantastic! So, all I have to do is be ready for a quick recovery so that if it powers-down suddenly, all I have to do is stick my foot out. If my concentration gets side-tracked by things like pedestrians, automobiles and what-not, it's my own damn fault. Yeah, I have to say I agree with you, that makes sense to me.
I don't know why kids don't do that when they hit rocks with their skateboard wheels. Stupid kids!
It is truly a sad comment on the dexterity of those individuals who need training wheels to keep them from falling off of their Segway.
Honk if you're horny.
A better analogy would be, wouldn't they recall cars if your car steering and brakes failed every time the "low gas" indicator went on.
You're almost there. The equivalent situation for a dead Segway battery would be a gasoline engine with no gasoline.
I've been (un)fortunate enough to run out of gas in a car as well as while riding a motorcycle, and I can tell you when you're out of gas in either one (especially if you're in a freeway situation, which I was lucky enough to be in while riding a nearly-empty motorcycle) it is completely unsafe. No gas, no power. No power means you can't keep up, and suddenly the 5-10 feet between you and the other cars seems way too close. So if I, as a driver, am too careless/stupid/whatever enough to ignore the gas light and keep driving, how the hell could I make any claim that it's the auto manufacturer's fault if I get plowed into by other freeway traffic? I think this is similar to the Segway situation, because they're giving you a warning alert, so it becomes a discretionary issue with the individual.
I'm curious to know what Segway intends to do with the units that are sent back for the recall. My guess is that they'll simply modify the Segway to shut down if the battery is low.
Recall it because it fails to work if someone keeps going AFTER it gives them a low battery warning???
That's like saying they should recall cars because you could run out of gas on the highway and die, even though they have a handy gas gauge and some put on a little light to tell you when you're pretty much empty. I don't think they should recall something because of user stupidity.
Now I'm not a Segway advocate by any means (I think they're ridiculous), but this is stupid.
Is recall fever spreading?
I belong to the ______ generation.
I become unstable and fall over.
1) Will I be recalled soon?
2) Is there a software upgrade available that will prevent this from happening in the future?
...when the battery of the Segway has not enough power it will stop?
Undoubtedly the people involved, that lead to this recall had problems paying attention to the low battery indicator because they were on phone cell phone...had just spilled a hot cup of McDonalds coffee they were holding between their legs...were trying to emulate President Bush...driving under the influence...were stupid? naw couldn't be.
At last a topic and comment for which my sig truly applies.
Use your head, can't you, use your head,
You're on earth, there's no cure for that - S. Beckett
Phish Segway Showoff
or
http://www.local6.com/news/2414796/detail.html
the reason this is stupid to me is that the user was given a low battery warning/alert. if they continue to use it, they deserve to be thrown off (it is sort of like the Segway saying "get off you idiot, I can't go anymore"). do we recall cars because drives get stuck in some inhospitable place because they refused to heed the low fuel warning?
Yeah they had lots of TVs and satelite recievers in the stone age:
2 52 4s.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030925/553
But merchants such as Mazouri already are cashing in. Television sets, refrigerators and boxes of satellite receivers are stacked 10 feet high on the sidewalks of Baghdad's shopping districts. Shoppers who have waited for years to be able to spend their hoarded dollars are out in force.
You mean people actually own these things in any volume to merit recalling them??
The next comment I write will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
Anyone who owns a Segway deservs to fall down everynow and then and again and again.
Nice try, however.
Slate did a review of the Segway a few months ago, and one of the issues raised was that the low battery indicator was impossible to read (you needed to bend over it and shield it from ambient light with your hand to read it). Piss-poor design that.
Other articles on the recall indicate that gyroscopes are impacted first when power drops below optimum. The scooter pitches the rider over on their head. Again piss-poor design. Imagine if your motorcycle were designed to handle a low fuel situation by locking your anti-lock brakes while you're at highway speed.
Kamen has a deserved reputation for producing rough prototypes that he considers market ready, when in fact they are optimistically 25% of the way there (The folks I work with know this from bitter experience).
Very few companies would buy a Kamen design a second time, and woe unto the engineers sentenced to clean it up into a marketable product.
This can happen if the rider speeds up abruptly, encounters an obstacle, or continues to ride after receiving a low-battery alert.
All of which are the rider's fault. By that logic we should recall cars, boats, and planes as well.
Personally, it sounds like Darwin in action to me. People that have more money than sense buy a toy, fall off, and potentially relieve the gene pool of the affliction.
The truth about Scientology, Xenu, and you: Operation Clambake
It should be poll.
Really. Who the hell rides these things in any serious way? Aren't they rightly seen as comedy transport on a par with pogo sticks and unicycles?
The idea behind the Segway is stupid: provide motorised transport at little more than jogging pace in a society where almost a third of the population are already suffering obesity from lack of exercise; where distances between amenities are some of the longest in the world, and where the car reigns supreme.
That's really going to take over the world - ooh yes.
"And the meaning of words; when they cease to function; when will it start worrying you?"
...ptorrone, what say you of your precious segway now?
You'd think that for $5000, they could have put an RJ45 port on the sucker and included a DHCP client and a little web server admin interface for upgrades, like any other network device. Your IP address can show up on the display (surely there's some sort of display, or they could have included one just for that purpose for practically no money).
The justification for this is easy... when there's a problem that can be fixed with software, you just offer an upgrade instead of suffering the PR of a recall, even a voluntary one. The Segway, an ingenius invention that is under too much pressure to be too perfect too soon, is having a hard enough time with the public (too big, too ugly, too stupid, whatever) without this. This is definitely not what they need.
RP
A low battery alert doesn't seem like a safe way of handling the problem. You'd think with the little battery life left it would try not to move at all, just stay balanced. This probably wouldn't be that easy to accomplish though.
Think about it. Everytime you leaned forward it would have to drive forward to stay balanced, then slowly back you up to the original position. That way it would inconvience the rider to the point that he'd half to get off.
-=- Many seek good nights and lose good days.
You can refer to him as the asterisk President.
CPSC announce a voluntary recall on all type of helicopters as they may crash and cause injuries if you continue to fly after having received a low fuel alert.
Yes, maybe they could do an auto-rotation, I know...
I'd rather be sailing...
Today, the Segway is exposed. The inventor of the Segway should hang his head in shame. He has put his own greed above the safety of human life.
and you've shown yourself as a bit of an arse.
"Trying to eliminate Saddam... would have incurred incalculable human and policital costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible... We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq... there was no viable 'exit strategy' we could see, violating another of our principles... Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."
- President H.W. Bush from his memoir, "A World Transformed", commenting on why he did not try to overthrow Saddam Hussein at the end of the first Gulf War.
To bad Jr. didn't learn anything from his dad.
I don't think this is just limited to baby toys and furniture. I'm sure most all warnings are the result of dumbasses doing something stupid, then trying to hold the manufacturer liable....
Why would you put a warning on Preperation-H saying DO NOT EAT? Or those drying agents that come with stereo equipment? What dumbass thinks his new stereo came with free chicklets?
I'm almost positive my owners manual for my car says to not drive the car at night if the headlights don't work, nor to operate the car in inclimate weather conditions if the wipers don't work... I think it also says to not pour water in the gas tank, and that they wouldn't be responsible for the resulting engine damage...
Bush falling off a segway
Left 4 Dead Gaming Group - http://www.l4dgg.com
A better example would be a 747 pilot ignoring the computer when it says, "Pull up! Pull Up!"
If a pilot ignores the terrain mapping on the computer, or the automated, "Pull up!" warning when flying towards a cliff or too low? I guess Boeing should recall its jets too...
Maybe we should all sue Exxon because the drunk captain crashed the tanker...
About the Segway:
About Iraq's WMD's and the war:
This thing just needs an OS upgrade. I hear XP doesn't crash, just slows down a wee bit...
I drive my car while low on gasoline. It can run
out, so I hope recall it too. Geez!
It is amazing how difficult it is to form an intelligent response to this article.
I can understand slashdot's collective interest in all things Segway, but I think at this point there's probably nothing more that can be said about the subject.
I see this as a parallel to a prophetic article in which the Hurd is used to power the next Furby, thus sounding the death knell for both technologies.
Furby = nearly dead retired clown, and Segway = The Hurd, in case you didn't get my analogy.
It's an interesting technology looking for a market that doesn't exist. People in densely packed cities are doing just fine with inexpensive bikes. Americans like their cars. The Segway is the butt of a lot of unfunny jokes, and publicity stunts like this.
Who's going to be the poor bastard lugging around the diesel generator to recharge the squad's Segways when they're rolling around BFE?
i mean they have to have the phone number of the guy who bought a segwy on file somewhere. hardest part is dialing it right
adv. - 1. The act of claiming something is secretive in order to garner attention. 2. Exaggerating the value of a product, person or service in order to sell something to another person. Did you hear about Bill's term paper on the nutritional value of beer nuts? It got an A. He totally segway'd the teacher!
n. - 1. Over-pricing and misrepresenting a product beyond its normal value. Have you seen the ads for the $153 Leptoprin weight loss pills? That's nothing but cheap vitamins they're marketing only for people who are "serious" about weight loss. What a Segway!
Kamen (Kay'man)
n. - 1. A person who pays too much for something, and is obligated to defend its value due to pride, as opposed to admitting it was a mistake. I told Bill not to buy that Cadillac Escalade. Now he can't ever find a parking space and the lemon is in the shop half the time, yet he still insists on being a Kamen.
I'm actually rather impressed with the Segway's safty record so far. 3 injuries per 6000 riders is really quite good given the nature of the machine. Bicycles do much worse. Segway says they aren't sure that the accidents were caused by the "flaw," it may well be that they were caused by the riders simply being dumbasses.
Although they didn't phrase it quite that way.
KFG
... a segfault!
I guess that's what you'd call it!
This wasn't about just WMD's...although admittedly that was the widely touted reason for it. Look at the actions of the president more carefully than you listen to what he says. (ALOT of slashdotters would do well to take that advice, IMHO - and I am not trying to sound like a know-it-all...but I think I have a valid point on this one.)
Think about it - what two countries did the U.S. go after? Afghanistan, and Iraq. They are going to be forged in to more democratic systems of government. Now guess what...look at a map. What is right in between Afghanistan, and Iraq? Guess what country is going to have alot more pressure to turn democratic then it already does (via students and internal pressure etc.) Guess which President is actually fucking DOING something to change the face of the middle east from the sandy butthole that it is - even if those changes might not be realized for a few decades. You know...it's sad it takes such methods (war) to do it - but it DOES take a few broken eggs to make an omlette. I don't like it either, but that's reality. It's kinda always sucked that way.
Well...that was one reason reason, and the few hundreds of thousands (more?) of people Saddam was slaughtering over the years (many in some really not-nice ways) are valid reasons too...although France, Russia and Germany were quite willing to let that shit slide for some lucrative oil and construction contracts. Guess who most of Iraq's debts were owed two. I can name three of the biggest ones right now. The morality of a few European nations is located very close to their respective wallets. Russia? I'm quite hesistant to buy from them to be honest. They'd (all too often) sell you their fucking mother if the price was right. If you think America is corrupt, I recommend paying that place a visit.
Well...lessee...other reasons...Terrorism connections? He paid the families of bombers in Palestein of they blow themselves up in Isreal. Isreal is an ally, and quite alot more reasonable to deal with - reguardless of whatever mindshit some leftist prof will tell you.
Not that I'm on the side of the Segway or anything, but isn't that kind of the same thing that will happen if your riding on a motorcycle and run out of gas?
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
Hundreds of thousands of Ford/GM/Whatever cars/trucks/SUVs recalled because of defects leading to severe injuries or deaths stories on /. : 0
/. : 1
6,000 recalled Segways that might cause *gasp* a fall story on
You do the math.
They cite three injuries, "one requiring stiches," in 6000 units. This sounds a lot safer than motorcycles. Why haven't all motorcycles been recalled?
That that is is that that that that is not is not.
Just hook the thing up to one of the TZero's Range extending trailers and the problem's solved. Hell, you might even get the thing up above 15mph! ;-)
Go permanent? In your dreams and my worst nightmares.
they don't have to pay any taxes. Just a thought.
I can see Federal Motors coming out with the Hummer Short Bus any day now...
My experience has been different. They mod up bad jokes and misconceptions as Funny, and then they mod down informative comment correcting the misconceptions as Overrated, presumably because they think the author of the informative comment didn't get the joke.
Segway, on the other hand, is a joke, except in those limited areas with no usable public transportation.
Will I retire or break 10K?
What does it have over moped, bicycle,electric bicycle, roller blades, walking, etc?
Unlike a bicycle, a Segway HT can be brought indoors with the rider, safe from vandalism and possible theft. It is also faster than walking, which means the rider can go farther in a one-hour commute. I'm guessing it'd be a decent solution in an area with no usable public transportation.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I was, like, riding my segway, when suddenly it was like, beep beep boop beep bup beep... and then, like, my ride was over. And I was like, huh? It killed my ride. It was a really good ride. And then I had to walk, and I had to do it fast, and it wasn't as good. It was kind of a... ... bummer.
- First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then ???, then profit.
http://nathanlaredo.com/recall.html