Segway has an epiphany, introduces RMP hyperdirectional transporter
By Darren Murph 
posted April 8th 2008 5:47PM
posted April 8th 2008 5:47PM
MAKE @ RobotBusiness 2008 Segway RMP - video powered by Metacafe
posted April 8th 2008 5:47PM
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there is already a forklift using this technology. Its not groundbreaking.
hey, Max stole the '94 Taurus!
exactly. they use equipment like this on aircraft carriers since it's especially good at navigating tight spaces.
i did a little footwork. this special type of wheel is called a mecanum wheel. it's been around since 1973.
Engadgets sole purpose is not to blog about new technology, but technology in general. If you notice Engadget makes posts about laptops and proccessors etc... These have been around for a while, they aren't new, but we still enjoy to hear about them. This has been around, it isn't new, but I still want to hear about it.
@ Paul, thank you - i was amazed by this, and have been even more amazed to see it has been around for 30 odd years.
good dirt digging ol' chap :)
Our FIRST robotics competition entry used Mecanum wheels. That was created by high schoolers.
FORKLIFT is what this is good for. As a personal transportation, it would probably suck, since humans tend to need to know where it's going to keep its balance. If you expect it to go "forward", but instead it goes right, u will have a hard time not falling off.
I understand why the dude is sitting down when traveling on that one in the video.
quick question for all you who said "this tech is currently in use"
is it operated by a user who directs it by altering his center of gravity??
Other vehicles may have Mecanum wheels, but this Segway is the first "hyperdirectional" vehicle. It can also travel up and down, through other dimensions and through time. That's why it's easily worth $50,000.
I know the owner of the patent, he "sold" the license technology to a "company" in Seattle last month. Bea coup $$$!!! I seen this take 5,000lbs and drag like it was a sack of feathers.
Sad to say, it's not Segway invention but now Segway technology.
up to 400 pounds? so the lazy less-fatty fatties will use this until the lack of walking turns their corpulent sacks into a girth unable to be supported by this machine? i likes, i likes a lot.
i would pay to see what would happen to this contraption if someone 400+ lb sat on it... :P
400 lbs = can accomodate Americans
you forgot to add "below average sized"
>400 can use the forklift technology listed above
dan, do us all a favor and fuck off. Not every American is 400 LBS. Maybe a majority is overweight but hell I myself need to loose around 25-30 to get into my supposed ideal weight and I'm hardly atypical. I'm really sick of how people love to laugh at Americans and their weight. Its stupid, its a stereotype, and it really needs to stop.
Don't freak out over Dan's comment. I'm sure he wouldn't be making a comment like that in person. Besides, 400 pounds isn't in the realm of overweight, that's more like extremely obese. Like, barely alive. It's when you get to that size that you really should consider "assisted suicide" ala The Simpsons' "diePod."
John, your comment made me laugh. You berate Dan for implying Americans are fat, and then proceed to explain how the majority are overwieght, and how 2 stone is typical. What exactly is your point? That it was an exaggeration? ;)
ok class! GRE word associations:
G.O.B. Bluth ..... Segway
"First!" posters .... Acerguy/Mark/Yomomma
iPhone ..... flamebait
soccer ..... football
Discuss.
great. now i have the victory song stuck in my head. i'm going to go do magic now.
Apple = flamebait by M$ fanboys
Microsoft = flamebait by @ fanboys [@ = Apple, like M$ is universal for Microsoft]
Intel = flamebait by AMD fanboys
AMD = flamebait by Intel fanboys
ATI = flamebait by Intel and Nvidia fanboys
Nvidia = flamebait by AMD and ATI fanboys
.
..
...
The list goes on and on
Haha, nerdily enough, I G.O.B.'s 'victory' song as one of my ringtones. Its The Final Countdown by Europe.
One of the most epic songs ever!
for the record, Acerguy is also the "but will it play Doom? / but does it blend?" guy.
without him we are nothing.
lowest - thanks, man. i actually didn't know the name of the song. now i can put that in my crazy awesome rotation along with dancing queen, eye of the tiger, and total eclipse of the heart.
No problem.
Whenever my phone rings people gravitate towards me for autographs, its outrageous!
those are balls. close up balls always look like landscape.
Well said phanbouy. You've pissed me off elsewhere, but all is forgiven.
@Phanbouy:
By the way, have you seen where the Arrested Development movie is finally listed as "pre-production... 2009 release" on IMDB?
I'd rather the show return, but a movie will be fine. Who knows... maybe it'll prompt the return of the show.
@retro77:
You insensitive clod! I happen to be a list fanboy!
i have not, Tobias! that's great news. time to get me a Final Countdown ringtown as well!
@Phanbouy and Tobias
Well a movie would be nice, of course, it doesn't automatically mean a new series. Firefly/Serenity is the glaring example.
@ Anonymoose: you got a copy of Hbloxx - "I got the Power" on that jukebox catalogue?
This is a dream come true! It will make parallel parking in the Segway area of the Battlestar Galactica convention ("BatGalCon" for those of you not in the know) MUCH easier.
I'm John Travolta and I approved of this plug.
Geekiest post, evar!
The wheels remind me of gorilla digits.
Designed in California by Terry Gilliam
I'm leaning towards French Cruller's.
@Joe:
Delicious either way!
So I can use this, gain weight until I'm 400lbs, then I gotta go back to walking again? Meh.
Nope, then you get two.
Good thinking ;)
One for each cheek, right? :D
more like lobes
nice. i am just wondering how it is controlled. it looks like in the video that it was being remote controlled. i wouldnt wanna be controlled by someone else. hopefully its just a matter of leaning in the direction u wanna go. because a hand controller would suck
you don't want to be controlled by someone else yet you still get dressed by your mom. for shame, man, for shame.
True, I wouldnt be able to hold my beer and drive this thing.
@Anonymoose
your just jealous because you have to dress your mom. and undress. plus your dad and little sister. and if your ambitious, your pet cat with three legs