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A Killer App For Segway
cameronk writes "The NYT reports that Segway is developing a growing popularity with people who are mobility-impaired. My 94 year-old grandfather is too proud to use a wheelchair, yet too fragile to walk. The Segway seems like an ideal way for him to maneuver about."
I don't know if Segway's lobbyist makes comments about the Segway not being intended as a device for the disabled in order to facilitate his task of getting governments to approve it's use on sidewalks. This is apparently a very controversial issue in many cities. To read about the sidewalk and pedestrian issues as well as Segway attempting to put down pedestrians fears that the sidewalks will be take over by Segway-riding disabled people, read more here:Segway or the Highway.
http://www.busyweather.com/
Wasn't there a case awhile back were a Segway, if low on battery power, would cause the rider to fall flat on their face? While it's bad, I could see this turning very bad when there's a handicapped rider.
most elderly don't have very good balance. does riding a segway require any?
if it does, then that would not be a good choice of transportation for older people
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The dynamic-balancing technology was licensed (by DEKA) to Johnson & Johnson first, for use on the iBot and any other medical applications.
J&J retains the rights to *all* medical applications.
So Segway has to specifically market it as a non-medical device and never seek FDA approval of any kind because then J&J could step in and make a ruckus.
In fact, if it can be shown that the Segway is largely used by disabled/mobility-impaired people, bad things could happen to Segway LLC.
I keep seeing people chastising Segway for not persuing the disabled market, but these are the facts. Even if they wanted to go through the lengthy and expensive medical review process, they simply can not because of their business arrangement.
Wouldn't the old people still have to stand for extended periods of time?
hi
Thats probably not that big of a niche.
Mathematics is made of 50 percent formulas, 50 percent proofs, and 50 percent imagination.
A 94 year old is almost as likely to fall off his Segway as Bush. The difference is that Bush is physically fit (although not fiscally or mentally fit). A fall from higher than normal standing height could be real serious for a 94 year old. A Segway for gramps is real bad idea, for him and for other people on the sidewalk.
When I die, I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather did, not terrified like his passengers did.
Not too elderly friend of mine (he's 64) and his wife rented Segways in DC. Now, just so you know he's not a complete klutz, he and his wife go dancing several nights a week. So, he's on this thing for less than 15 minutes, drops his left wheel off the curb, and is thrown a good four feet into the street. Helmet on, otherwise would have smashed his skull against the pavement. As it was, narrowly avoided being run over by a car, had a dandy and debilitating bruise over much of his left hip, and has no interest in ever getting on one again.
thanks for this explaination, makes more sense now;
:-) and it took me no time to be quite mobile and reasonably proficient with the thing, including going backward, tight corners, etc. quite a bit of fun actually, not to mention going forward standing up at speed I haven't experienced since last time I was able to run; Balance was not an issue somewhat surprisingly, and I felt quite safe on the thing. Range is a tad limited, but still a lot more than what I can confortably walk, so this would not really be an issue;
I am not old, well, not terminally so, but crippled nonetheless; I walk with crutches, don't have a very good balance, and am quite limited in the distance I can walk confortably; a wheelchair is not really an option; it took me long enough to get rid off the darn thing and it has other limitations (despites ADA and all that, few places are really accessible, and standing up does have a number of advantages such as physiological (digestion, blood circulation, etc. works better), it opens up bunch of places otherwise not accessible, helps in interacting with other people on an eye to eye level, makes a big difference, etc); electric scooters (three/four wheels, grany style) are pretty limited too (not really practical or manoeverable, just saves a bit of effort), and anything marketed as 'mobility' devices costs more than what most people spend on a car.
I did get a chance of trying one of these Segways (I just sent them my email and they told me when the next demo was taking place nearby) and was impressed; the Segway guy doing the demo did show me how to get on the thing safely (you know, when/how do you drop the crutches
The thing though is that 5 grand (at the time) was a bit steep so I passed on the idea;
Anyway, the Segway could never be marketted as a device 'for the disable'; to do so, they'd have to make it a lot heavier, and bulkier, limit the range further, add a lot of chrome, look at wheelchairs and crutches, chrome everywhere, that's what the likes of them like I tell you, gimps gear has to be heavy and shiny, replace the batteries with the electric wheelchair kind (that leak acid, don't last long and cost a lot more), modify the look so that no 'normal' person would ever want to be seen even dead riding one (though some on this forum might argue that this is already the case:) and of course double/triple the price; nothing short of that could possibly satisfy the FDA.
For the record he's thin as a rail and still has reasonable mobility, although he could never walk this distance daily. The Segway's replacing a car in this case ... and affording the old sport a far more sociable experience than a car ever could.
I think it's safe to say that most folks in my town would be very puzzled by the anti-Segway sentiments on Slashdot.