To minimize injury from the beating they're going to take from the schoolyard bully for being such dorks???
Posted on 12/03/2001 4:17:56 PM PST by spycatcher
Not to mention bruised knuckles knees and shins. I'll stick with my GMC 3/4 ton pick up truck. By the way, if the damn thing is so safe, why are the riders wearing helmets?
Visualize a man with his legs blown off at the thigh. A Kamen prosthesis could allow this man to roll around standing six feet tall again. Hands free.
I'm also quite convinced he allready has a design that will climb stairs. imho
Why such a high tech solution for something easily solved by adding another wheel? If he's using it as a proof of concept for his gyro system for another more appropriate use, it's fine by me, it sure seems to work well. To pay $3000 for it, seems to me to be a waste of money. With the addition of another wheel, he could eliminate the electronic and mechanical complexity and use the power consumed by the gyro systems to extend its range, not to mention, lower the cost and weight. If someone gave me one, I'd ride it for a while and since I'm a guy I'd take it apart to see how he's accomplishing the balancing act and the supposedly low power consumption, then I'd sell it to get some aluminum heads for my old Vette.
Allow me to go out on a limb and state that in its present form, It won't change the world although the application of its gyro technology might. Sure I'd like to have it at an airport or a mall but they could just as easily rent an electric skateboard type of transportation, too. Yet they don't. If they have a passenger with special needs, they always accommodate them with a manual wheelchair pushed by a no doubt unionized employee unless you get lucky and they stick you on one of those little electric cars. I was just at the mall and the only two things they had that were rent-able were Larks and manual wheelchairs.
It will be interesting to see how these work out for the post office, maybe now my mail will arrive before 17:00 :)
Riiiiiiiight, but I applaud your SciFi enthusiasm. How's that Java-based Artificial Intelligence Freeper Post and Cubist Art Interpretation simulation going, HAL? I mean, PAL?
- Sam "Not A Luddite" Paine
More like the realities of chemistry and physics have been the limiting factors.
Batteries will never be greatly improved no matter how much wishing goes on.
This piece of metal and guano does 15 miles on an overnite charge? I can drive my Jeep 15 miles on the Diehard in it now (of course, the starter burns out)
This has to be one of the most impractical, dumbest inventions I come across since I met a guy working on an asparagas harvester.
The people in DoD who procure new technology for our highest tech soldiers are interested. Does that really bother you? Lighten up Francis.
To minimize injury from the beating they're going to take from the schoolyard bully for being such dorks???
I don't think I need one. It would probably be fun to try for a few minutes, but I don't think I would enjoy spending a lot of time on one of those.
Truer words were never spoken.
Ever heard of a caster? (And not a fly fisher.)
That how it works? Personal attack if I dont agree or point out a discrepancy in your posting?
:o)
I am sure we would all like to see a revolutionary invention but the billing went from the replacement for the automobile [tree hugger's dream] to bigger than the internet [Oh yeah!].
Like I said...no doubt the technology will be exploited by minds that can think a little more outside of the box than Kaymen(sp?) and he will get paid....but it simply in and of itself isnt that big a deal.
To opine on and on about imagined applications, and to misrepresent that the US Special Forces[who flesh out their own gear...anyone prior military would know that.] would seem to me to be a little too attached to an idea [that isnt even yours].
Because she's a show-off and an idiot, and they figured it out after she'd been on it ten seconds.
The first thing she did after toodling around for a few dozen feet was to yell out how do I make this stop! -- in utter panic -- and then let go of the handlebars. I guess she thought it was like a lawnmower, since it looked like one. Let go of a (modern) lawnmower, and it stops.
Well, the scooter didn't stop, and when she started trying to balance on it (in panic) by her feet alone, it sensed her movement, and then it went into some kind of panic mode too. You could see the vertical post and handlebars doing a rapid back and forth oscillation, reminiscent of an Airbus taking off from JFK :) as the thing tried to jiggle around to keep her upright.
I think it was after that when the "shadow" started following her around, and there was a time or two that he had to grab her. She wanted to show off by lifting one foot, and the scooter of course sensed the imbalance, and tried to compensate, and she about went flying -- off it.
I could just imagine the sinking feeling in Kamen's gut as he watched that idiot push the thing to its limits and beyond while trying trying to be the center of attention. Can you imagine the bad press if she'd managed to run over more than one foot, or into someone, or into a brick wall, or, get thrown off it?
I expect that for any future demos they'll make damn sure that all "participants" get the riot act read to 'em before they're let near the things.
Good point. I didn't think of that one.
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