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What The Segway Should Have Been

ohgizmo.com — The Tango was created by high school students Ben Gulak and Jason Morrow who represented Team Canada at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Albuquerque, New Mexico this year. Think of the Tango as a self-balancing, compact version of a racing motorcycle.

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  • PuleIaNalu, on 10/10/2007, -5/+38the segway is now the sole domain of rentacops...
    • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -13/+9I'm not a rent-a-cop dude, I own one.
      Best piece of machinery I have ever bought. No gas, no maintenance, no insurance, fun as hell, the list goes on...
      It's the only efficient way to get around where I live (dense city, too many cars).
      And i don't care WHAT anyone says, I'm not walking or biking 5 miles to work both ways in 90 degree weather.
      Would be interested in this thing though. Looks great! Wonder how well it stops as it doesn't have "breaks" in the traditional sense - it's precision controlled reverse torque.
      • gwinerreniwg, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3I'm pretty sure Progressive Insurance has a Segway insurance policy. Wonder what it covers you for?

        EDIT: yep: http://www.progressive.com/segway/segway_home.asp
        • briguymaine, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I finally got to ride one for a project I was working on, and yeah it's cool for the first few minutes then the novelty wears off. I had a 30lb tv camera on my back and I could see how mailmen would benefit from a segway, it is pretty easy to use even with awkward weight. But it is pretty lame to use one for transports that a bike or, god forbid, your legs could do. My 2 cents.
        • mahdaeng, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Did you see the pic on that link? Who needs a helmet on a Segway?
      • unicronband, on 10/10/2007, -10/+67Dude, you need to sack up. Biking 5 miles to work is nothing. I and I'm sure many diggers do it every day. Unless you have a dire medical need to not use your legs (no, being a WoW addict doesn't count), you are contributing to cycle of laziness that having a Segway epitomizes. As fun and cool as I'm sure it is, I'd imagine the novelty wears out by using it every day. And you know, every time you go zipping by on that thing, every person you pass is thinking "what a ***** douchebag". I'm one of them.
        Digg me down, I don't give a *****.
        • Otto, on 10/10/2007, -24/+12Wow. What a ***** douchebag you are to criticize somebody else because they ride an electrically powered vehicle to work instead of bicycling. GFY, dick.
        • TKn00b, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15lol at a newly invented form of discrimination.

          "We don't take kindly to you "SEGWAY" riding folk 'round these parts."
          • sadilak, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1now hold on tknoob, he ain't doin nothin...
        • sgtbutterscotch, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11I agree with Otto. It's sad that you're railing on this man for using an alternative way to get to work that has no negative externality on anything. You say it contributes to laziness, but how do you know he doesn't work out everyday? Maybe he's got a cushy job and doesn't want sweat stains showing. Maybe he doesn't want to be exhausted when he gets to work. I used to ride my bike two miles to and from school (4 total) on hills both ways. I live in Atlanta so it's really humid and makes the heat feel worse and I'd like to see you bike two miles in 90 degree, humid weather without being exhausted by the end.
          • aposter, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2I used to do 5 miles each way in St. Louis, Mo. 90-100 degrees with 80-100% humidity. Breathing heavy and sweaty at the end of each leg because I averaged 16 mph, but not exhausted. Not even close.
          • 1randomnumber, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I just got off a 2000 mile trip up the east coast... riding 100+ miles almost every day through any kind of weather imaginable. Sweat stains off of 2 miles... psh.
          • MackenzieArbour, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Well when i was a kid we had to walk TEN miles in the snow uphill both ways!
        • mstoneburner, on 10/10/2007, -7/+4I dugg you down AND blocked you, Mr. Hate McHateyhate.
        • inkyblue2, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4uh, wrong. i biked 6 miles to work for a while, but i could get away with it because it was downhill on the way in (less sweatiness) and i didn't have to dress up for the job. anyone who wears a tie at work or whose commute is less accommodating is going to have to have access to a shower at/near work and figure out a way to transport their work clothes without wrinkling them, not to mention their towel and shower stuff. not saying it's impossible, but it definitely makes biking to work a major pain in the ass for a lot of people.
        • adolfojp, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Living in the tropics I can say that a 5 mile bike ride or walk under the sun will only guarantee arriving at work drenched in sweat.
      • evanpugface, on 10/10/2007, -5/+4ok.. why can't you bike FIVE miles in 90 degree weather?? exercise is good for you!
        • LacY, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12But being all sweaty and smelly at work isn't...
        • saleem, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6do *you* bike to work? however you want to spin the segway, without it, the guy would be driving a car to work, clogging streets and using foreign oil.
        • mstoneburner, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Yeah but being sweaty and smelly when you get to work is bad frowned upon where I work.
        • sanman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Exercise keeps you young, but riding on the electric machine doesn't, unless it's a treadmill or a stairmaster.
        • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Only problem is, like everyone else is saying, that there are no showers at the work environment that they are at. If you have a shower at your work more power to you. Otherwise most of the population is going to drive. Now which is the lesser of two evils: Driving, or using a PT? That is the main question. Not whether or not you're getting better exercise.
      • heliox, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11Perhaps I don't want to be sweaty when I get to work?
        • raynar, on 10/10/2007, -10/+2use your bike, get "un-fat", and then you wont sweat as much.

          Or, ride your stupid little toy (You probably wear crocs too to add to your douchebagness), eat some cheetos and get fatter and sweatier.
      • mahdaeng, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2"And i don't care WHAT anyone says, I'm not walking or biking 5 miles to work both ways in 90 degree weather"

        Wuss!
        • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0So you do this every day? To and from work? I assume that if you are you have a shower at your end destination.
    • ncc74656m, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1NYPD has a small fleet of them for patrolling Central Park...
    • Speed, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Actually in Edmonton, there are plans to give real cops segways.
    • TKn00b, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Real cops have these in Norfolk, VA. They are even less intimidating than bicycle cops.
      • aposter, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Yeah. Well, they can still legally kick the living ***** out of you if they feel like being dicks. Doesn't matter what the ride, thay are still cops.
        • Terc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2hmm, wrong, they cannot "legally kick the living ***** out of you if they feel like being dicks"

          not legally, at least.
          • aposter, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Ok. They can kick the ***** out of you with no repurcussions.
    • Durandel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I live in an urban area and I see people riding Segway scooters around almost daily. People zip around on them to restaurants, pickup groceries, or to movies. Some ride the sidewalks, and some ride in the street as though it were a scooter.

      I do see many more Vespa and Honda scooters out there though. But there is a market out there for this kind of transportation in urban areas. I'm in Columbus, Ohio so this isn't exactly New York or a big metropolis. 15th largest in the States though.
      • camg188, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Is that 15th largest by square mileage or by population? "Annex" is Columbus' middle name.
      • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Perfect application if you ask me.
    • OctaneCL, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1They have them in DC also.
  • schestowitz, on 10/10/2007, -4/+18Get a segway, lose your friends. Seriously, while the idea is an excellent one, there's a social barrier in acceptance. It's like rollerskates and skateboard before they became mainstream.
    • Detritus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16Oh ***** you're gonna make me quote an after-school special: "Then they aren't really your friends."

      Honestly though, the Segway is goofy but they still look fun to ride.
      • KniteWulf, on 10/10/2007, -6/+17How are fat chicks and Segways alike?


        They're both fun to rid until a friend sees you.
    • toxicityj, on 10/10/2007, -0/+24its only a matter of time before kids start grinding and kickflipping their segways.
    • sgtbutterscotch, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3You know, I've been thinking lately how cars are just big toys people fit inside. I envision a toy car and imagine it embiggening. Then, someone gets in and it doesn't look silly at all. If you try hard enough, they can look pretty silly. Imagine what people from the time of the first cars would think if they saw today's cars. The only reason they look normal to us is because we were born into a world with them taking up a large space of it. In future generations, I bet there will be Segways, or Segway like things all over the place. It's kind of like that commercial with the people wearing weird pogo things like shoes. It looks pretty silly, but then I thought that that was pretty cool.
      • unicronband, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Very cromulent use of the word "embiggening".
      • Apoc, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Nice use of "embiggen".
      • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Or personal computers 20 years ago. No one would have thought that almost every person in America nay, the world, would have their own personal computer.
        It is a gradual cultural acceptance that may take many years to be fully realized.
    • darny, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I definitely don't see the segway as comparable to roller skates and skateboards, mostly because roller skates and skate boards are used for recreation/fitness, not transportation (sure some people rollerblade/skateboard around, but this is largely impractical and not practiced by the mainstream).

      Anyway, once the younger generation picks up the segway (that is, once it costs ten times less to buy), I agree with you, people will start adopting it. For now it's just a geeky eyesore (that even geeks would feel strange using).
  • BlackTye, on 10/10/2007, -2/+49Why couldn't they make hovercars instead?
  • exformation, on 10/10/2007, -2/+24Why do news stations still hype segways as the next big thing? It's pretty obvious by this point no one really wants them.
    • kevincannon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3They're great fun to ride on though. They're just too expensive + there's the legal issues in a lot of places.
    • sgtbutterscotch, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Umm, they don't. Welcome to 2007, ever heard of hybrids? You know, like cars?
    • skyteria, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2They need to meet their quota for fluff stories.....seriously.
    • BrK1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Considering that the company has been growing roughly 50% year over year, I'm not sure where your "no one really wants them" logic comes from.

      I think the majority of the bad press Segway receives comes from the fact that they have more acceptance in commercial/industrial/military type applications than in consumer-transportation applications.

      It's been about 5 years since the initial launch, and the company is still around. *Somebody* must be seeing value in the devices...

      I think there was no way they were going to be able to live up to the pre-launch hype, and if you think back to all the "experts" that had an "inside scoop" that all turned out looking like idiots for not coming anywhere near guessing what it really was, you can see why the media doesn't have a lot of love for Segway.

      It's a very neat device that certainly has a niche, but I think that niche is NOT currently what everybody seem to think it is (consumer transport).
      • mogus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Keep in mind, the company also has contracts with the DoD to bolster its numbers. Plus, even if segway sales did grow 50% each year, when your market penetration is so low, your product will be obsolete by the time it reaches any appreciable sales volume.
        • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0A product can only be obsolete if it has competition or other similar products. Of which this device has none.
  • 10goto10, on 10/10/2007, -19/+5 I think I speak for much of the rest of the world when we look at an American on a Segway and go *sigh*...
    • gogun, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4at least it's not buring oil
      • MikeMulligan, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3o rly? Where does the electricity that charges the batteries on the Segway come from?
        • adolfojp, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2A combination of oil, coal, nuclear and hydro. If we are really lucky in the future there will be more nuclear, wind, geothermal, solar and tide power plants. Also, a centralized oil burning plant pollutes less than thousands of tail pipes.
        • AttilaD, on 10/10/2007, -2/+0Bottled smugness.
    • bernieg1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3There's a travel agency that uses them in France, you can tour Paris with them, and a friend of mine has one in Greece and the people there think it's cool, so try not to speak for the rest of the world.
    • camg188, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Weak argument. Why should I give a ***** what the rest of the world thinks.
  • rebopper, on 10/10/2007, -4/+17The Segway would be practical if it were more affordable and not just a [fat] rich mans toy. I can only imagine the price of the Tango and how I could probably get a real scooter or motorcycle for less money. It's cool that these devices need little maintenance and no gas, but I would like to see an affordable model for normal people. If people are to embrace this type of technology, it needs to be within reach of the people that need it most; also it must also compete with the less than $1k electric scooters that are available. Until then, I will ride my Schwinn; no gas, nominal maintenance.
  • SuperWinner, on 10/10/2007, -14/+43"Since the Tango is electric powered it produces zero emissions..."

    Yeah, where does power come from again? Oh ya, coal and nuclear power plants. Increasing the load on them certainly does qualify as "zero emissions" since they produce no C02 at all...
    • dorshorst, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8coal, yes; nuclear, no
      but you are right that the energy has to come from somewhere
    • Renton, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2That's really the power company's choice, not mine.
      They're are many that use wind farms or hydroelectric power.
      • KniteWulf, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Your comment's grammar hurt my head.
      • SuperWinner, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Wow, that was almost bad grammar pornography.... "They're are"? So... they are are??
    • mikesherov, on 10/10/2007, -6/+4Your assumption that all power comes from coal and nuclear is foolish at best. If we follow your logic, my toaster produces emissions.
      • Gymbo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6um technically it does.... someone had to make it and someone had to deliver it to the store so really everything produces emissions ... that why i don't care and i just continue to do what i do and turn stuff off that i don't use...(and cut down as many trees so tree huggers still have there jobs on a picket line)
    • Tyr7BE, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11Nuclear power produces zero emissions. It does produce nuclear waste, but the amounts are relatively small compared to what comes out of a coal or gas plant. Currently they just bury the waste in concrete bunkers, until they figure out how to break it down. So for some areas of the world, using an electric means of transportation really is emission-free.
      • adolfojp, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Nuclear power plants are great. They could completely replace oil burning power plants in the future. However, doing so would hurt many people with money and therefore a FUD campaign was done to the extent that nobody trusts nuclear power. :-(
        • tony23, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Weren't the environmental groups like Greenpeace the ones leading that FUD campaign?

          Yep - they still are:
          http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/nuclear
        • Ravatar, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1FUD? Like the fact that we have no decent plans for permanent storage of nuclear waste? Or, for that matter, long-term storage plans for the 60+ years it takes for some of the material to approach half-life?

          We don't need more problems than solutions. I'll stick with renewable wind/hydro/geothermal/solar power thanks.
      • skyteria, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Then what comes out the two huge smoke stakes in the nuclear power plant in The Simpsons?
      • ubpsanity, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Steam from the cooling towers possibly.
      • iloveazngurlzs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The waste from nuclear power for 2 months is enough to fill ONE BIG ASS *****!!!!! 3 gallon bucket.... seriously, if it wasnt for all the negative hippie energy (ESPECIALLY IN ***** SANTA CRUZ, thank my parents for helping that 30 years ago haha) we would have so many nuke plants.
    • PaperMonkey, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Nuclear power plants produce emissions. Not the same as fossil fuel generation but it produces emissions. Or did you think that they just hooked the power lines up to the reactor and magically put the power out to the grid? Yes, they generate heat energy and that heat is run through a transfer pump to heat clean water which in turn is used to turn turbines which run generators which produce the electricity but there is still the whole issue of running the reactor and dealing with the waste.

      The US needs to start using CANDU style reactors so that they don't need enriched uranium and the governments all need to fund research into tritium based reactors so that they can generate power with the uranium and then use the waste tritium as fuel in another reactor.. which would leave them with hydrogen and water.. not bad eh? Then all they have to worry about is safe containment from one location to the other. Of course that will never happen because the US Presidents always bow down to the oil lobbyists and we never seem to be able to elect anyone as Prime Minister who is willing to go against the President and actually do something about fuel efficiency in SUVs/trucks and funding alternative power generation projects.
      • cawpin, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Dude, a nuclear reactor is just a fancy steam engine. The only emission is the waste that Tyr7BE mentioned. Is is minuscule compared to fossil fuel power.
      • ubpsanity, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Thats a really good idea. But the biggest problem with putting a Candu in the states is what Candu stands for, CANadian Deuterium Uranium. For it to fly in the states, it'd have to be renamed.
        • Atomic1fire, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1condu
          constructive deuterium uranium
    • manray, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4umm... Nuclear power IS Zero-Emissions.
    • Falldog, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3It says "it" aka, the machine itself does not produce emissions. If you're gong such a nit picker about this crap either go all the way back to the environmental output from production, or actually read the sentence.
  • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -12/+31hmm. I'm not fat (5'9" 170), and I SURE as hell am not rich. For one thing, it's not a scooter. You're right, you'd have to be MAD to pay that much for a SCOOTER. It's a new classification - PT (or EPAMD). I don't seen any scooters able to balance on their own on two non-tandem wheels and turn in-place while maneuvering among 100's of people. It is the only VIABLE means of getting around in a crowded city (ever been in DC on a scooter? - your life flashes before your eyes). A PT is BY LAW designed for sidewalks and path systems. I have yet to figure out why in God's name people associate a Segway with laziness. Last I checked, a car was a little lazier - you sit down, have cup holders and places to stash unhealthy food and eat WHILE driving. Segway - you standing UP (what a concept) you're maneuvering with turns, and yet BOTH are going the same distance... Anyway, I'll continue to get yelled "walk B**CH" at me and smile realizing the irony of them yelling it from a car while sitting, eating their bigmac. I'll see them at the movies too, only I will not have had to wait 20min for parking. It took how many years for people to completely accept the computer? How many people said "why in hell would ANYone want a computer in their home?"
    • bovester, on 10/10/2007, -6/+5"I SURE as hell am not rich."

      Well, how much did yours cost you? When comparing a Segway to a scooter, remember that a scooter is only going to cost $100 even for a good one.

      And when you're comparing it to a car, remember that the car is going to more than 8 miles on a single "charge" (/fillup) and it's going to get you there a LOT faster.
      • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5it cost me $10,000 LESS than a miata. oh, and no maintenance, gas, insurance... adds up quick.
        $5k and that's it.
      • ubpsanity, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4A Scooter is going to cost way more than $100 for a good one..

        Look at the price of a new Vespa, $5000 or so.

        Me, I want a mid 60's Lambretta to restore, it could cost as much as a new Vespa, before restoration.
        • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0True, but And again I say: a PT is not a "scooter"
    • evanpugface, on 10/10/2007, -22/+3uhh, i'm 6'3 and 170... how are you not fat?
      and ride a bike, you look RIDICULOUS on that thing...
    • josswright, on 10/10/2007, -15/+5I don't mean to be rude, but 5'9" and 170 pounds does (just) register as "overweight" on a standard body mass index scale. Of course, you could be very well muscled, but 5'9" and 170 pounds doesn't automatically qualify for saying "I'm not fat."

      With respect to the segway, I think that the main complaint is that any time you can use it, you could be walking. You're comparing using it to driving a car. In that sense it's probably better, but as you point out: it's not a car replacement. The criticism is that if you're using it, you should be walking.
      • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Well I work out. So say what you will.
        Tell me, would anyone here WALK 5 miles each way to work??? hmmm.. thought so.
        it DOES replace my car, not my routine.
      • MikeMulligan, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Dude...its the internet. Obviously he's 5'9", 170 lbs, jacked as hell with a 3 foot dick and a supermodel girlfriend on a matching Segway behind him.
        • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Ironically, she does have a Segway.
      • tsbardella, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I am 5'8" and I weigh 175 and I got your fat right here...
      • adolfojp, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1My height is 5'10" and my ideal weight is 180. At 170 my ribs start to show. BMI is a very bad standard to begin with. Not all of us are built alike.
    • DryMaltExtract, on 10/10/2007, -16/+25'"9" 170.

      Overweight. You might not be obese, but you're fat.
      • Desolite, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10uhhh you can be 5'9, 170, and not be overweight. i'm guessing you don't go to the gym much yourself otherwise you might realize this.
    • jschramm03, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4You actually ride it on the sidewalks of DC among 100's of pedestrians? Why not just walk, how much faster could you be going if there are that many people around you. It would be a nightmare to use that on the sidewalks of NYC, they are useless in my mind.

      5'-9" - 170lbs is ok.
      • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2mmm no. because unlike the pedestrians walking a few blocks, I going several MILES.
    • alpha94, on 10/10/2007, -2/+115"9, 170lbs fat? You guys are crazy. I am 5"10 and 170 and work out 4 times a week in martial arts and do combat sparring. I am by no means a muscle head. I take a tonne of viatmins and health supplements and eat very healthy.

      Maybe you guys are scrawny and underweight?
      • VintageMud, on 10/10/2007, -5/+0Aaahh... so that's what we're calling steroids these days.

        Agreed, totally useless waste of money. You might as well be the lazy fat-ass driving while eating a big mac. Get a bicycle, or a pair of roller blades. A lot less expensive, and you'll get to your destination just as quickly, if not more-so; plus you have the added benefit of exercise.

        On a side note, I almost ***** myself when the tiny college town I went to purchased 5 segways for the police force. You can get a lot more places, a lot faster, and a lot cheaper with a bicycle.
        • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2cycling 5 miles in 95degree weather to work with no shower in the facility....... rest my case
          • Gyga, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I sweat like a pig. I could do that without breaking a sweat. It is often that hot with 95% humidity where I live and I can bike further than that. You don't bike at a racing pace, you go at an easy gliding pace.
    • Ramble, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1What's that in metric?
    • bills534, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1Im 5'9" and 165lbs and I consider myself on the heavy side. Ideally Id like to get back down to 155.
      • adolfojp, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Not all of us have the same bone mass, shoulder width, ratio of the length of the legs to the torso, etc. People, even skinny people, come in all different shapes and sizes. Your weight, like the weight of the parent, might be just right. :-)
    • RobertS44, on 10/10/2007, -2/+55' 9" and 155lbs here. BMI are NOT a way to know if someone is fat. so stfu people.
      • esemtee, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Bingo! Yahtzee! I couldn't agree with you more. The BMI should NOT be used as the be all, end all reference for who is fat and who isn't. It's very outdated and needs to be redone for the 21st century. As for Segways, I don't see a problem with them. For those that want exercise and be healthy, that's fine, you guys go and walk. For those that need a quick form of transportation that doesn't require a lot of room or fuel - and you don't want to show up to your morning meeting a sweaty mess - I say grab your Segway (or whatever the new piece of machinery may be) and enjoy!
        • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0All I'm saying! Nice to know see someone who still sees we live in a free country.
    • Kitsune818, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2(comic book guy voice) I'll have you know, this is not a Scoo-ter, it is a Personal Transportation Device. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a LARP to attend.
    • yickster, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Walk bitch!
      • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0There it is! YAY!!!!
        Now run along and go to work in your car. I'll glide and beat you in traffic. HA!
    • MothBoy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I am 6'4" and am composed of 200 pounds of rock hard muscle.



      Unfortunately, I weigh about 260....
  • brstilson, on 10/10/2007, -2/+36http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=segway_more_complicated_than_it_needs_to_be
    • seancurran, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Bam third wheel
    • kevincannon, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3As funny as that is, it's simply not true.

      I've had a go on a segway and they are amazingly agile, a 3rd wheel and no stabilising stuff wouldn't be very good at all.
  • gogun, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1At least it doesn't burn oil.
  • albundy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4This thing looks like a class action lawsuit in the making.
  • o0joshua0o, on 10/10/2007, -0/+14The Segway should have been a personal jetpack.
  • cattar, on 10/10/2007, -11/+1Original article
    http://digg.com/design/What_The_Segway_Should_Have_Been
  • HarryManback, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11There's a guy that works in the complex here and he rides his Segway EVERYWHERE. To the breakroom, the bathroom, out to the smoking area. It's not a crowded, congested area around here. I thought perhaps he has a medical condition of some sort, but as it turns out, he's just decided he's done walking. I really couldn't give a ***** what anyone around here does, but I think it's a sad testament to our laziness to see this guy ride his Segway to go out and SMOKE!
    • lordtyros, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6G.O.B.?
    • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1now THAT'S sad. and NOT what it was intended for. people like this outta be shot, not only for being an IDIOT but for giving Segway a bad name.
  • evanpugface, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8the bicycle will always be the best way to get around a city.. until we are flying around with our jet packs...
    • coreyb, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1And I so want a jet pack... but all I have is a bicycle :( It has tassels though.
      • aposter, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0The important question is, "Does it have a bell"?
    • BrK1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Why is it "the best"? Bicycles have their own issues with maneuvering in cities, it can be hard to carry a heavy load on them, and I think the chance of injury is much greater (less stable, and if you fall, you fall farther and are likely to get tangled up in the bike). Rough pavement can also be more difficult and dangerous to cover on a bike.
      • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Don't get me wrong, bicycles certainly have their place for less dense, cooler areas. Both have their respective places. The PT simply does better in dense areas.
  • kilworth, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Looks like IT
  • pogfreak, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Dean Kamen is ahead of his time. All the haters today are the equivalent of the car haters of the 19th and early 20th century who clung to their horse and buggy. No new mode of transportation has instantly become popular, it'll take decades before "ginger" truly revolutionizes city transportation; but its bound to happen, its just a matter of A) tech getting cheaper B) cities becoming even more overcrowded.
    • kronix, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Give me a ***** break, Segways aren't going to change a damn thing. There is no market for something that can only go 8 miles on a single charge. There is no market for something that can only go 8 mph. It doesn't get you there all that much faster than walking.

      For short trips I use my bicycle and longer trips I use my car. In the future I see more bicycles in big cities(more bicycle incentives) and smaller, more efficient cars with constantly improving public transportation not Segways being ridden by fat nerds in goofy bicycle helmets.
      • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+324miles per charge, 12.5mph. I don't sprint to work dude...
    • Eliza101, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Dean Kamen has always been ahead of his time - he invented the insulin pump in a garage while in college!
    • oneangrypossum, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0When cities become more overcrowded, the last thing we need is a semi-bulky private vehicle that can barely move faster than a sprint. Better public transportation is the future of city transportation, not the Segway.
      • aposter, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0A world class sprinter averages about 22 MPH over the 100 meters. A person doing a 4 minute mile is doing 15 MPH. Hell, marathoners average about 9 MPH.
      • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Again. you find a way to keep me from sweating for my 5 mile trip to work and I'd consider it.....
    • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Not bulky, and not a vehicle.
      Apparently hard for people to wrap their heads around - it's like an extension of your body. hence the name "PT" or "EPAMD"
      People for the most part are not social (least not around here). While I don't mind being on a bus or Metro, a lot of people do. This gives them their own way to get there. Kinda like the single people who buy Hummers for just themselves... why? (don't get me wrong, love the things. They're just used in the wrong context 9/10 times.)
  • FlagrantDrugUse, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8Mirror, just in case of a ***** ***** blizzard:

    http://duggmirror.com//design/What_The_Segway_Should_Have_Been/plain.html
  • Lenny, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0not loading *_*
  • JoeRandom, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3There is already an electric vehicle called the tango

    http://coolgreendriving.blogspot.com/
  • redisant, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Looks like those guys might have read about the EMBRIO from Bombardier 4 years ago...

    http://www.gearbits.com/archives/000336.html
    http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:zV-MbqSFs3MJ:www.brp.com/en-CA/Media.Center/Press.Releases/1/2003.07.09.htm+bombardier+EMBRIO&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us
    • OandA, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1This is better than it they say because it is easier to maneuver with 2 wheels side by side than just one.
  • projectinfamy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0http://boortz.com/images/dick_cheney_segway.jpg
  • Veritate, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Hey, guys -- yeah, the Segway may not be the end-all of personal transport -- but this is NOT a Segway. It does use the self-balancing of a Segway, something which is arguably the Seg's best feature. It has a top speed of 40 mph compared to the Seg's 15 mph, making it fairly usable for local travel. In short, it merits a serious look, and if not workable for some reason, something else will come along that will improve travel.
    • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+012.5mph actually. And I agree, this thing would be sweet to compliment the longer-than-8miles trips.
    • jeezus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1^^ Uh, yeah.

      If you read the original article, you'll see that this uses two wheels set side by side ,like the Segway, AND it goes 40 MPH. So you're going to just lean back to stop? Right. Seems like a great idea, but not very practical. Maybe that's why it didn't win.

      +1 Diggs for cool, -1 diggs for being impractical.
      • Terr01, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Very true.

        How the heck would you safely and quickly stop this thing at any reasonable speed without it tossing forward and either throwing you off or turning you and the vehicle into a rolling mass of carnage?
    • inkyblue2, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2the segway concept works *because* it has a low top speed. for faster travel, there is no way that any sane person would pick a one-wheeler over a two-wheeler. this thing might have a bright future in stunt competition or something, but for commuting, an electric bike/scooter/motorcycle does everything this thing could do, only better.
  • drgreenberg, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5The majority of electrical power in the US does come from coal, regardless of where you live. And, yes, it is increasingly commonplace and not foolish to think of your toaster as having emissions. More and more, folks are being asked to consider their carbon footprint, which is the total amount of hydrocarbons burned through all our energy use. Based on this, electric vehicles do have a carbon footprint. Fortunately, it's less than that of a typical internal combusion vehicle, since it's easier to control greenhouse gas emissions of a fixed power plant than for many mobile engines. Many folks have done the complete analysis and it's typically a win to let the power plant burn the fuel and convey the energy electrically. It only gets better as nonpolluting sources such as wind come online.
    • Ramble, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3And then plants absorb that extra carbon, plants die, animals eat plants, animals die, animals get buried and form into coal/oil in a couple of million years.
      Problem solved.
    • Smuikas, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Not my toaster :) I checked the box on my power bill to opt-in to green energy. The only carbon footprint I generate, arguably, is from the subway every morning and evening.

      Besides, once we start relying on green energy (wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, who knows what else), all-electric mobility and living is quickly converted directly over to having a green footprint. Compare to selling your truck and buying a green car, selling your oil heater and buying a heat pump, etc..
      • joebaloney, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0How do you think those windmills are manufactured? How do the workmen get to BFE to fix said windmills when they break?
        yes I am being an ass.
      • ChoadNamath, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yeah, I'm sure they have an extra set of power lines that carry your "green" energy to your house. What a load of *****.
        • jackmaninov, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Just because it comes in over the same line doesn't mean you're not buying the green energy. The green energy sources throw X kWh into the pot (the grid), and you pay for and draw Y kWh out.

          The entire eastern coast of North America is connected in one grid. It's not like anyone is getting a direct line from any particular utility. By your logic, you can argue you're not being power by coal, because there isn't a direct line from the coal plant to your house.
    • HiddenCanuck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I live by these guys - and where they live they get their electricity from Niagara Falls - so clean energy indeed!
  • Gymbo, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1hmmm how much less energy would it be if they added another wheel...
    • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2A lot. The Segway is classified as the most efficient mode of transportation yet conceived because it doesn't have the drag of another wheel and it able to dynamically alter the power given to the wheels.
      • inkyblue2, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3the segway has two wheels, and there is NO WAY you will ever make one as light and with as little rolling resistance as a road bicycle.
        • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0A road bike doesn't have dynamic stability and power management.. oh yeah, and it's irrelevant! Comparing apples to oranges - a bike is an exercise machine that allows you to get places. A PT is a transportation device allowing you to get there without a pool of sweat - not self propelled.
          Like driving vs. biking - the two have nothing in common.
  • baron164, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1That reminds me of the monobikes in Venus Wars. Now the only thing they need is a modular rail gun :-)
    • starkraving, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1That's exactly what I thought of too, heh...
  • davewashere, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Is it like one of these: http://www.planearium2.de/pics/pics-511.jpg
    • MikeMulligan, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Thats the first thing I thought of too.
    • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0LOL! yeah, they'll have to rethink the design a bit...
  • thehead1138, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Ok... that's cool, but I have a question. If *IT* didn't win... what the hell did?
  • Drgn547, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Let's take all that science and engineering effort, and lend a hand to wordpress
  • mogus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Anyone know of a video? Along the same lines of "pics or it didn't happen", with something like this, I want to see it work, or in my mind it's a visual mock up. It's like putting a "Time Machine" label on a refrigerator box and then sending out a press release with the picture of you standing next to it.
  • Riffraffs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4the best thing to come from a segway is the segway wheel chair. A wheel chair that stands up on two wheel and balances. http://www.ibotnow.com/ibot/
    http://digg.com/tech_news/Segway_Wheelchair_Mobility_System
    • deadhead05, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Why is that good or important?
      • Ahnteis, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1People in wheelchairs don't especially enjoy staring at your fat belly while trying to carry on a conversation?
    • ezcheese, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The wheelchair actually came first.
  • YouandWhoseArmy, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1Steal this comment.
  • Lasereth, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I remember Dean Kamen saying that this thing was gonna be the best invention of our time. Maybe it is, maybe it's not, but when they start out at $8,000 each what did he really expect when it flopped.
  • joshf52, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3The only thing wrong with the stock Segway is that it doesn't say GOB in the front.
  • crash128, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0If your marketing campaign compares your product to a segway, uh, not sure about the efficacy of that venture.
  • seks03, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1This article needs more photos
  • Treoinmypocket, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1How about the length of the charge/runtime? These stories always admit what is the single most relevant factor in useability.

    Doesn't the Segway only have like 30 minutes of run time? if this thing does 40MPH what has it got, like 12 minutes?
    • Treoinmypocket, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Dam. That was supposed to be OMIT not ADMIT...
  • quakerorts, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Alternate sites that aren't down yet:
    http://digg.com/gadgets/Canadian_Teens_Invent_A_Segway_like_Motorcycle_Called_The_Tango
    http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/vehicles/tango-motorcycle-is-like-a-segway-but-less-pathetic-284403.php
  • bIuebonics, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1For *I* am the mayor of Albuquerque...
  • crimson117, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Let's just hope Mr. Garrison didn't design the controls...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O4RY06OF6g

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Entity_%28South_Park%29
  • gartekh, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3interesting, but I always though the segway should have been this http://www.vegatransports.com.au/2001/atst.jpg
  • manray, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Another testament to long, cold winters in Canada.
    • n4tune8, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0So true! We do have lots of spare time over here during winter time...
  • badassgeek, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I'm kind of surprised that nobody's mentioned the biggest problem with a Segway: it's hard to ride one without looking like a complete dork.

    Seriously. You could get George Clooney up on one of those things, and he'd look like somebody's Dad trying to keep it hip with the kids.

    • bingmobo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0The first Gen i could sympathize with you, but the new one - the i2 - looks MUCH better. segway.com
    • ToxicGas, on 08/11/2008, -0/+1true. this tango actually would look even worse ... the 3rd wheel translates to 'i'm so lame i need a 3rd wheel because i can't balance on 2'
    • Billions, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I agree, it's like rollerblades or razor scooters... The efficiency factor is completely nullified by the incredibly bad look.
  • Mc_Carter, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1But can magicians ride them?
  • dupswapdrop, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1segway=scam
  • Advenger, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Maybe not a Segway, but I'd totally ride one of these

    http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/09/meet-the-one-wheel-balancing-scooter-suck-it-segway/
  • dilbert, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm only getting this:

    Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 16777216 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 409 bytes) in /mnt/Target01/336853/www.ohgizmo.com/web/content/wp-content/staticize-cache/c3936b16ef55a5b83ef887845c5eda2e.php on line 124337
  • neoknight, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2original article - its surprising how much content gets rehashed by blogs today. It took three blogs to get to the original source.

    http://technology.canoe.ca/Innovations/2007/05/22/4199470-ca.html
  • ToxicGas, on 08/11/2008, -0/+1the 3rd wheel just looks retarded. kind of like a training wheel.
  • Kitsune818, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Didn't the guy from the Wizard of ID invent this??
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