As far as POINT 1, this has been very heavily studied in the cycling world.
Among the durations I have data for, world class cyclists can achieve 10-11 watts/kg of body mass for 1 min and around 7 watts/kg for 5 minutes. Those data yield different power outputs for cyclists of differing weights of course, but watts/kg is actually what's important here.
I don't suppose they'll have a professional cyclist on hand to pedal, but for reference, I'm an amateur cyclist (with a powermeter on my bike), and I can sustain ~500 watts for 1 min without killing myself too badly. That's about 7.5 watts/kg for me.
Regarding previous posts, the most efficient design is of course going to be a single person, since the problem is completely limited to power vs. mass. Also, simple leg cranks may not be a bad idea (as opposed to additional appendage/torso/etc. cranks), since in a duration this short, you are pretty much limited by V02Max/Anaerobic threshold, and I don't think adding arm cranks would fix that.
I'm sure they went with such long blades for lift to drag efficiency, but of course that changes if they contort. My personal belief is that there is going to be just way too much drag/friction to lift an object of maybe 75-100 kg with, say, 500-1000 watts.
"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...
I actually found one in my fully-stocked desk when I started my last job for a software development company. (Mind you, it wasn't fullsize, but it was indeed a red swingline) That didn't concern me at the time, but sure enough, a few months later they brought in some consultants and fired me along with a bunch of other folks. True story.
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As far as POINT 1, this has been very heavily studied in the cycling world.
Among the durations I have data for, world class cyclists can achieve 10-11 watts/kg of body mass for 1 min and around 7 watts/kg for 5 minutes. Those data yield different power outputs for cyclists of differing weights of course, but watts/kg is actually what's important here.
I don't suppose they'll have a professional cyclist on hand to pedal, but for reference, I'm an amateur cyclist (with a powermeter on my bike), and I can sustain ~500 watts for 1 min without killing myself too badly. That's about 7.5 watts/kg for me.
Regarding previous posts, the most efficient design is of course going to be a single person, since the problem is completely limited to power vs. mass. Also, simple leg cranks may not be a bad idea (as opposed to additional appendage/torso/etc. cranks), since in a duration this short, you are pretty much limited by V02Max/Anaerobic threshold, and I don't think adding arm cranks would fix that.
I'm sure they went with such long blades for lift to drag efficiency, but of course that changes if they contort. My personal belief is that there is going to be just way too much drag/friction to lift an object of maybe 75-100 kg with, say, 500-1000 watts.
"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...
I might be persuaded to undergo a sex change just to be able to be a game-tester.
Where do I sign up?
I actually found one in my fully-stocked desk when I started my last job for a software development company. (Mind you, it wasn't fullsize, but it was indeed a red swingline) That didn't concern me at the time, but sure enough, a few months later they brought in some consultants and fired me along with a bunch of other folks. True story.
And yes, I took the stapler with me when I left.
This appears to be displayed on the page now, let's make him wish he never wrote this crap.
melmoth73@hotmail.com