DEVELOPING: 'IT' REVEALED; 'SEGWAY' SELF-BALANCING PEOPLE MOVER

Drudge ^ | Dec 2, 2001

[Leroy S. Mort]

Just a headline so far.....Matt must be writing the copy now

[Criminal Number 18F]

This is for real.

Moller has been scamming investors on this thing since the 1960s. He has burned through millions and millions and lived a very nice lifestyle. It has never flown.

He claims that his engines put out more energy than is physically in the fuel they burn... his machine is mathematically and physically impossible at his numbers.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Servant of the Nine]

Stand and Deliver

The Freepathon is on!!

This is an expensive operation

To keep it Going
Click the Logo
For the Secure Server

So9

[Skywalk]

I don't know if they'd be as expensive. Of course, to begin with they're going to be more costly, but after a few years in production, I don't see why something without the maintenance requirements, metal/composite construction or engineering constraints of an automobile would cost as much.

Also, cars cost a ton of dough to maintain and power. This might not replace the car, but it could be a good supplement.

[alnick]

I saw those at, I think, Sears last week. They're roller sneakers. There are wheels built into the bottom of them.

Great idea! I wish they'd have had stuff like that when I was a kid.

[Fred25]

This “invention” is idiotic! This is hype to try to raise money for something that doesn’t work. A “brilliant” invention goes right on the market and starts selling right away. This is a hoax.

[Petronski]

"but it makes no sense at all for people in cities to use a 4,000-lb. piece of metal to haul their 150-lb asses around town."

150 pounds? I might need two...at least.

[Boston Capitalist]

Ditto. I have lived in a somewhat rural part of the midwest as well as more urban parts of both coasts.

Unless you live in the city, this will probably be pretty useless for commuting.

HOWEVER, there are tens of millions of us who have terrible commutes and this could help a lot. This is just not just for environmentalist wackos.

If one out of every three streets in a downtown where set aside just for scooters and these handled four times the people of a street for cars, then you would halve traffic.

The real questions are 1. How does it handle snow (Kamen is from New Hampshire, he knows about snow); 2. What is it's maximum safe speed (30 would be great, but 20 would probably be sufficient).

[Captain America]

TIME MAG HAS THE STORY UP!!! PHOTO INCLUDED!!!

[SamAdams76]

Click here for an excellent WIRED profile on Dean Kamen. This guy is no con artist and no kook, he is an extremely successful inventor with a proven track record.

[SamAdams76]

[Walkin Man]

Picture from Time mag of Segway.

[BansheeBill]

Drudge linked NYT photo:

[dano1]

Seriously though, I believe it is the underlying technology that will prove to be the revolution, not the scooter.

Maybe that's the meaning of the name "segway", i.e. merely the point of departure another segment

[weegee]

Needs a seat belt and airbag first...

[Semper911]

Segue, indeed. You hit the nail on the head.

For those of you who don't know, Dean Kamen does not aspire to make money via consumer hype. His field is physics, not engineering, and he applies physical science to find solutions for everyday challenges. He has already proven himself to be the real deal. I encourage his detractors to take a look at his inventions and read about his career.

[Semper911]

Thanks for putting up that link to Kamen's Wired article. I hope people take the time to learn more about him.

If they put a bubble on it, add a tractor seat, heat, A/C, and a cup holder..... I'll take one.

.

[dano1]

The Time magazine story mentions this thing going 3 to 4 times walking speed, and someone in the article mentions going uphill. Also, the article mentions some big customers who apparently have decided to use it, so it must be a practical mode of movement already.

[Styria]

I'd love to see the sprawling parking complexes that mark the transition between car zones and the inner cities.

[sharkdiver]

In 1978 I worked at a local skating rink as the skating instructor and I was competing on a roller speed skating team. I was heavily into the "disco Roller skating craze" as I was also a DJ. One day I was at the rink when the guy walks in with this pair of high top sneakers and asks the manager if he could demo them. I looked at these Pieces of sh*t and thought what a joke. The sales rep said that he could not personally rolleR skate and asked if I knew how to skate. I said yes and he handed me the skatesw and said that I should give them a try. I did, tried some jumps and spins, one fast lap. These skates had very sm,all tires that were together for and aft. I took them off and said that they sucked. He said that I probably didm't know how to skate anyway and he would try to find someone else to demo them. I went and got my speed skates and went out and blew A few very fast laps just to prove to this clown that his product was a piece3 of Sh*t. Save your money go for inlines.