Keepin' it real fake, part LXVIII: the four-wheeled Segway

You can really only go two ways when you're knocking off an iconic product, according to our copy of "Asian Device Fakery, 4th Edition": either you can slavishly copy every detail and come up with a faithful replica, or you can throw caution to the wind and crank out the craziest mishmash of branding and design you can. Any other approach inevitably leads to hilariously awful results -- like this four-wheeled "Segway" that's been popping up in Europe. It looks like whatever company built this thing lacked the basic engineering skill to make it self-balance, so the designers just went ahead and added a couple extra wheels to really pump up the nerd-on-the-run factor. Only €399 ($544) to barely out-cool that guy on the electric tricycle.

[Thanks, JM]

[Rob @ Jul 28th 2007 9:59AM]

"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!

[Rob @ Jul 28th 2007 10:17AM]

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.

[John @ Jul 28th 2007 10:27AM]

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.

[rockintom @ Jul 28th 2007 11:00AM]

@John:

Which is why people seem to make their own models for relatively cheap? (http://www.tlb.org/scooter.html)

[someguy7234 @ Jul 28th 2007 11:20PM]

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)

[Alex @ Jul 28th 2007 10:59AM]

They have been selling this at Pepboys in the US for several years now, it has also been in the movie "Grandma's Boy"

[a @ Jul 28th 2007 10:21AM]

They have so many of these at the Seaside Heights boardwalk by my house. I laugh so much whenever I see them.

[TK @ Aug 1st 2007 7:44AM]

Look mom... no gyroscope!

[chadow @ Jul 28th 2007 10:33AM]

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.

[nikster @ Jul 28th 2007 11:33AM]

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.

[Jamie Marsden @ Jul 28th 2007 11:33AM]

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=segway_more_complicated_than_it_needs_to_be

Maddox already has it covered...

[Rob @ Jul 28th 2007 11:24AM]

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.

[Jamie Marsden @ Jul 28th 2007 11:55AM]

You realise that it's a joke?

[ZombieDefenseTeam6 @ Jul 30th 2007 4:39PM]

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)

[Matt @ Jul 30th 2007 9:15PM]

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

[Jazz @ Jul 28th 2007 1:05PM]

This garbage has been in a bunch of movies. Grandma's Boy, Big Mama's House 2.. etc

[Krolls @ Jul 28th 2007 1:07PM]

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.

[russ d @ Jul 28th 2007 1:25PM]

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.

[taylor @ Jul 28th 2007 1:49PM]

These things have been out forever, I rode one demo unit made by ZAP, they were selling them at the sf international auto show

[Emceay @ Jul 28th 2007 2:25PM]

Where's the real four wheeled segway? They've been sitting on that forever. It might help make their reputation less... dorky.

[kevin rummelhart @ Jul 28th 2007 2:50PM]

This surely can not be for the US market with those tiny little tires!!!

[bbb @ Jul 28th 2007 3:15PM]

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.

[Mike I @ Jul 29th 2007 11:59PM]

What a very understanding, nice, little boy you must be.

[Matt @ Jul 28th 2007 8:33PM]

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

[friendlyner @ Jul 30th 2007 10:33AM]

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.