[pepsi_junkie]

The inventor of the Segway, Dean Kamen, had previously inveted a wheelchair that could climb stairs. I'm sure it was ridiculously expensive and impractically slow but really cool.

He's obsessed with gyroscopes. Gyroscopes work on the principle that they detect small deflections in position in any of the three axes (Left to right, Forward to back, or verical) and the system automatically triggers motors to correct that back to whatever position you want the system to stay in. So you can put a person in a chair and have it, for example, climb stairs and use gyros to make sure the person remains in a proper safe sitting position at all times.

It's old technology but Kamen has done some interesting things with it.

[Williams]

It’s safe until it breaks and grandma tumbles down the stairs with a piece if machinery on her back.

[cyclotic]

I was a coach on a US FIRST Robotics Team and have met Kamen briefly. I’ll bet he’s glad he sold off Segway.

My kid got some great scholarships because of being on a FIRST team.