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Segway Inventor To Build Powerful Wheelchair With Toyota (bloomberg.com)
Toyota is working with Segway PT inventor Dean Kamen on advanced wheelchairs for the aged and disabled. Slashdot reader necro81 writes:
Most people don't know that the two-wheeled balancing technology was first developed by Kamen's company in the early 2000s for the iBot -- an advanced wheelchair that could climb stairs and curbs, had four-wheel drive, and could balance on its rear wheels... it was also a commercial flop: the iBot was discontinued in 2009 after selling hundreds of units (many still in operation a decade later). Today, however, Toyota announced a partnership with Dean Kamen to upgrade the iBot and bring it back to market.
I wonder if they'll be used in more than just the obvious ways. 15 years after the introduction of the first Segways, Steve Wozniak is participating in the Segway polo world championships (which are named the "Woz Cup" in his honor). And the Australian army once even had a fleet of Segways which they dressed up like enemy soldiers to practice field maneuvers.
I wonder if they'll be used in more than just the obvious ways. 15 years after the introduction of the first Segways, Steve Wozniak is participating in the Segway polo world championships (which are named the "Woz Cup" in his honor). And the Australian army once even had a fleet of Segways which they dressed up like enemy soldiers to practice field maneuvers.
maybe that's the plan
...and the elderly can trim the lawn they want me to stay off of. Maybe even catch the head of a rabbit once in a while for entertainment.
I don't know who you are, EditorDavid, but the little idiosyncratic items you tend to leave at the end of your entries are, well...tasty.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Don't worry, even when nobody else is on Slashdot, PopeRatzo, xxxJoyBoyxxx and turkeydance will still be refreshing every story to get their 2 cents in first. Remember kids, comedy isn't about having the best jokes, it's about saying them before anybody else does.
Strewth, had they run out of bloomin' Abbos?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
“It is important to help older adults and people with special needs live well and continue to contribute their talents and experience to the world,’...
As our populations continue to get older, I see a booming business for these things.
"Special needs". That could mean anything. Why not just say paraplegics or cripples? WTF? I once referred to someone as retarded and boy did I hear it! I was told that I'm to say that they're special because 'retarded' is derogatory. "Oh, OKAY. Whatever. You are special after all!" And did the steam come out of their ears.
Any word can be used derogatorily. And this PC horseshit makes communication hard and makes actually helping those people (yeah, I said "those people") out harder.
Dumbasses.
AND I once was told that someone who was visiting had "special needs". Okaaaaaayyy, exactly what does that mean?
Condescending snarky attitude form the other party.
Well, if I build a ramp thinking they are in a chair, and they can walk but are retarded and I don't prepare, then their "special needs" aren't being addressed, are they?
Dumbasses.
And calling people "old". I'm old. I have no problem calling myself old. But it annoys me to no end when folks my age or older get insulted for calling myself old and tell me that "You're not old!"
Okay! Then I'm gonna take my bald head, wrinkled ass, fat wrinkled ass and gut and go to the local Uni and pick up 19 year old girls - because I'm not old!
Dumbasses.
The only time I see a two-wheel Segway these days is a rent-a-cop cruising around a tech campus. Meh... Now the three-wheel Segway is much cooler (see link below). I'm always tempted to jump on one to take out for a test drive. Lights flashing, of course. :)
http://www.gizmag.com/segway-launches-three-wheeled-se-3-patroller/32167/
Just remember you can't make them all *stand* in the wheelchair
Ah yes, the Segway. It was supposed to "revolutionize the world", and was a huge flop that practically no one wanted. Seeing a Segway in the wild is akin to spotting a unicorn galloping down the street.
I can count on one hand the number of Segways I've seen in actual use, mostly cops patrolling aimlessly inside of airports and shopping malls. They're not much use in the real world where just rolling over a stick or rock throws you off and makes you a candidate for a head injury.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
The Toyota WheelCruiser!
A fancy Segway with a cushy seat....
and a working, fully functional dick, and for those who need it, a bit of cash for the occasional romp downtown.
I'm not sure what Toyota can contribute to the iBot, aside from a sleeker package and iPhone integration. The iBot is a very well designed and well built machine and the problem is and always has been the fact that Medicare won't pay for it. Medicare does not consider the ability to climb stairs and move on less-than-perfect terrain to be a medical necessity. And it makes sense to say that the Americans with Disabilities Act, which mandates physical accessibility features such as wheelchair ramps, makes this machine unnecessary from the federal government's perspective.
In summary, everyone who ever used it loved it, but as long as Medicare won't pay for it then no one is going to buy it.
When the Segway came out, we were told so. Even Steve Jobs said so. Perhaps this will as well?
It took some digging, but there was a video released as part of the announcement.
Not rick-rolling - it actually does have Dean Kamen sitting in the new chair.
I wonder if they'll be used in more than just the obvious ways.
Yes, because it would be such a pity if they were "just" used to help people who can't walk to get around. ;)
Proud member of the Weirdo-American community.
Why do people use that belittling phrase?