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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@STIEN
Not really that funny. I would devote a couple more minutes to the comebacks.
can't we just have a hoverboard? and not a hovercraft hoverboard! like one of those they used in "back to the future"! why must this genius inventor give us the segway, and now this? doesn't he know we don't care about all this? anybody have his email address? better yet, let's start an online petition entitled "No more inventions from you until you give us a hoverboard"!!!
my hovercraft is full of eels!!
How about you shut up, before achieving anything remotely close like this?
when will this be "loosed?"
that's what....
no! i just can't do it!
@phanbuoy
she said
wonder where he got the idea from...
http://checkmate40.com/gallery/BAE%20Systems%202006/index.html
http://checkmate40.com/gallery/Build%20Season%202006/index.html
...and before anyone says anything... i know 40 wasn't the first team to do it... just its the same damn wheel lol. WPI, 40, and a few other veteran teams have brought them to GSR a few times and Dean's always there. O well, glad to see we inspired him too. Thats how science works right. :-)
i thought it looked an awful like a compact FRC robot... and i bet my team could build one for less than 50k
Great, now all they have to do is add a 400 pound machine gun turret on top, complete with remote control!
Ok, so whats the point of this thing?
It certainly is no people mover as it doesn't look comfortable to sit on, and its too low, and standing wouldn't give you much balance.
Moving furniture or 400lb boxes?
Only practical application I see with this is mounting a chair and making this a more manueverable wheelchair.
The forklift with the same type wheels is the Sidewinder.
http://www.airtrax.com/vehicles/sidewinder.shtml
Despite the snarky comments, this is quite interesting to me. While a quick google search reveals that the mecanum wheel design has, in fact, been around for a while, I remain impressed. It's quite beautiful!
Seems like it would work equally well on a two wheeled, gyroscopically stabilized Segway. Not something I'm on the market for, obviously, but very cool from an engineering point of view.
I'd love to see the same engineering applied to a small device like a Roomba robot. That type of mobility would allow for a far more efficient cleaning algorithm. The winding about in circles approach seems a bit odd to me.
Then again, those twisting wheels wouldn't do very well on a shaggy rug . . .
Well thing is you need 2 wheels in line in order to make this system go side ways, which brings up the though of mecanum motorcycle.
I suspect that while the wheel system isnt all that original, what will make it amazing is the Segway tech in combination with the wheel combo.
You don't need gyro's in order to balance on four wheels that are really low to the ground.
I can see people gearing these things way high and doing tricks and stunts.
the amazing Segway Technology(tm) allows it to turn tricks as well
Hey I've seen this before in like Discovery Channel or something last year, regarding MIT students designing a unidirectional wheel chair for the disabled. I hope they make a silent one in the future.
Mat Damon
First I thought, "cool skateboard thing".
Then I watched the video and realized I can walk faster than that thing.
C'mon, I want a hoverboard!
"You know you have a good robot when it's creepy"
Couldn't agree more.
If this wheel design has been around since 1973, Why the hell do I not have it on my car now????
Can't do a burnout with it... Nor... apparently stop when you want to at high speeds. In the video, there's about a 1-2 second lag as to when the wheels stop and the motion stops. Imagine doing that at 60.
Not fun.
The future wheels of skynet.
Looks like a really expensive high tech cheese grater.
Make a Segway with just 2 (instead of 4) of those wheel aparati positioned directly next to each other under a platform and make it gyroscopically balance, and then you've got my attention.
I'd love to see that too, but unfortunately the wheel design requires 4 wheels to allow it to crab sideways, you'll notice the front and rear wheels operate in different directions when it's crabbing to cancel out the forward/backwards forces.
I really don't see anything too special in this thing, as has been stated elsewhere, this technology is nothing new, we've seen it used in factories, aircraft carriers and even wheelchairs already, let's see something new.
wouldn't that tear up carpet?
~did I just set myself up for a mom joke?~
This invention will clearly save the world. Groundbreaking. Cities will be built around it.
Regards,
Segway PR.
To be fair to Dean Karmen, he wasn't the one that hyped the Segway up so much. I belive it was Wozniak that got silicon valley up in a tizzy about the then unannounced contraption "coming soon" from Dean Karmen, who already had a hell of a collection of really good, useful inventions, alot of which are medical related.
Having said that; Mr. Karmen, if your reading this: We, the people, DEMAND that you cease and desist working on any other invention* until you come up with a frickin hover board!!!
(*unless medically related)
It's Kamen, not Karmen.
Two words... "planetary exploration".
Yes! This will be perfect when man finds a planet made entirely of smoothed concrete.
You haven't been to Saturn lately have you? ;)
Once robots learn to circle-strafe like this, we're utterly doomed. All hail our new robot overlords.
not nearly as exciting as the links at the end of the video - "Beaver Cam Epic Movie", "Her Breasts Confused Him", and "Wet T Shirt Contest"
It's work related I guess.
"Beaver Cam Epic Movie"
life is good.
old tech yeah, they use these on aircraft baggage unloading carts. looks like fun though.
Give it an antenna and dish and you'll have yourself a mars rover.
Otto Green lasers rulz
Maybe they can work in the Microsoft "Surface" interface on the top... Kneeling on top, you could draw a line on a Google map defining the route to Starbucks, and the thing can leisurely crawl you over there while you update your Facebook page. Better than jetpacks!
Hey its the old EDU Bot but on steriods. In seriousness though that looks a little familiar. I think I saw this design a couple times at some FIRST events. If Kamen and folk can have a brilliant idea and price it so us without an engineering job can pay for it, it might sell.
Although this is interesting...I've been meaning to comment on the lasik plus girl advertised everywhere on engadget. She sure is pretty but why is she everywhere distracting me from intersting gadget news.