Keepin' it real fake, part LXVIII: the four-wheeled Segway
By Nilay Patel 
posted Jul 28th 2007 9:43AM
posted Jul 28th 2007 9:43AM
[Thanks, JM]
posted Jul 28th 2007 9:43AM
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"Whatever company built this thing lacked the basic engineering skill to make it self-balance"???
Come on, it takes a little more than "basic engineering skill" to make a self-balancing two-wheeled transportation device!
You missed the point. Meaning that they don't have the basic engineering knowledge to get it to balance on two wheels. It's not assuming that you need basic engineering to get it done with two wheels. But rather, that these clowns don't even have the "basic engineering knowledge" "needed" to get it to work on two wheels.
I'd call this fakery a complete "hazardous to your safety" piece of garbage.
I agree, for a device to balance on two wheels on its own (not a bicycle) you need to design a system with gyroscopes, microprocessors and powerful servo motors; not a basic design at all. That's why the Segway cost so much.
@John:
Which is why people seem to make their own models for relatively cheap? (http://www.tlb.org/scooter.html)
Believe it or not, the "inverted pendulum" problem is a common problem in any undergraduate control systems lab, So I guess it sorta qualifies as "basic engineering know how". What's difficult is cramming it all into a scooter and having the processing power available to analyze all your inputs (gyros, accels, encoders, etc.)- and making it safe if, say your batteries were to start to die (alot of hobbyists fail to consider this and when their microprocessors begin to lose power, or their inputs devices suffer low voltage the device "flips out"). Now, I'm not saying I could do it- It's tough- It's hard enough to do it when the base isn't moving- but with a couple of months of R&D I'd wager that any undergraduate worth his degree could get one of these things running semi-reliably tethered to a larger computer. (For a fun experiment though, take a pendulum and oscillate the base up and down- It'll stand up. The more power you put into it, the more it will be resistant to you pushing it over. If you steal a spoon from IHOP, flatten it, and pin the handle to a reciprocating saw- that works really well)
They have been selling this at Pepboys in the US for several years now, it has also been in the movie "Grandma's Boy"
They have so many of these at the Seaside Heights boardwalk by my house. I laugh so much whenever I see them.
Look mom... no gyroscope!
I would laugh equally at a guy riding this, as I would a guy on a Segway. I could care less who made it, if its a knock off, or if it auto balances. In the end, its just a device to get you from point A to point B without having to walk.
And really, how many different ways can you make a platform that you stand on, that has a motor and steering controls, and wide-spaced large wheels, without it looking like this. I'm not sure its really a knock off as much it is...well, just another thing to stand on a drive around.
Indeed - while the design looks somewhat Segway-oriented, it's not like average shopping mall dweller has ever heard of a Segway or seen one. No better way to out yourself as a geek than laughing out loudly when walking by. Not that there's anything wrong with geeks, just pointing that out.
And if it works, and drives from here to there, what do I care if it has 4 wheels? How many people will choose 2 wheels over 4 when there's a price difference of $3000.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=segway_more_complicated_than_it_needs_to_be
Maddox already has it covered...
That's so wrong.
Adding a third wheel is not going to give you the balancing advantage the Segway does with the gyroscope. That third wheel will make you land straight on your face when it gets stuck on a tiny piece of debris on the ground. That's why the Segway has the large wheels. The large wheels also allow you to go faster. The small wheel, due to its size, would decrease your speed dramatically as it covers less ground with each rotation.
Also, what happens when you happen to start going towards the back? Are you also going to add another wheel back there too?
So, no. That's not a fair and/or accurate comparison.
You realise that it's a joke?
I was going to say that only cops should ride Segways, but only the ones that are too overweight for a bike. Then I decided that maybe these things are probably marketed to the same demographic as those little trailer park mini ATVs. So what's more embarrasing...
1. Moped
2. Mini ATV
3. Mini Sport Bike
4. Segway
5. Asian Trailer Segway (above)
Why does everyone care what may or may not be "embarrassing"? Seriously, stop paying attention to what other people think, and you'll be that much happier.
But, whatever floats your boat. You keep on sitting in traffic, and I'll keep on having a lot of fun on my odd transportation device. :-) Lots of Segway experiences here: http://www.beforeisleep.net/labels/segway.html
This garbage has been in a bunch of movies. Grandma's Boy, Big Mama's House 2.. etc
This thing is no good. It uses a lead-acid battery, has no power, can barely make it up any incline- not to mention hills in the real world. At least a Segway can actually get you where you need to go.
Yeah, this was on Viva La Bam a few years ago. They took the mom's car and made her ride a segway home. But when they showed the wheels it was one of these haha.
These things have been out forever, I rode one demo unit made by ZAP, they were selling them at the sf international auto show
Where's the real four wheeled segway? They've been sitting on that forever. It might help make their reputation less... dorky.
This surely can not be for the US market with those tiny little tires!!!
Once, my friend and I were recording a scene for a highschool film class when, in the background, the most ragged, dirty-looking homeless man goes by on a four-wheeled segway knockoff. I nearly laughed myself to death.
What a very understanding, nice, little boy you must be.
I love my Segway! I commute to work on it every day, 2.7 miles each way. Takes 17 minutes door-to-door. That's about the same as a car takes, when you consider traffic and parking. And it takes that long to just WAIT for the bus!
I highly recommend it for people living in a city like DC.
Lots of Segway experiences here:
http://www.beforeisleep.net/labels/segway.html
Here in Philadelphia I've been seeing a woman riding around Rittenhouse Square on one of those for over a year. It took me a second to realize it had 4 wheels. It made the sight of a gray-haired rich woman riding a Segway that much funnier. She always has this look of complete self satisfaction riding around her weird little fake transport.