segway
Latest
Today's Segway one-upping video: Personal Yoshi
Scott Gairdner posts a short, sweet video about the advantages of riding a Yoshi over a Segway. The subtle edits and great production entertain, even if the theme is less epic than other videogame riffs. Keep a close eye--and ear--on the action for Super Mario World in-jokes.See the video after the break.[Via VideoGamesBlogger]
Customized Segways leave us speechless
As "big a deal as the PC?" Not quite Steve Jobs, but now (if not already) certainly more absurd. That's the NiteRider courtesy of Oakland's own customization Co, Segway Junkyard. Safe? Doubtful if that kickstand is any indication. Nevertheless, you'll be a hit with the truckers at road-side rest stops. Now hit that read link for plenty more hand-crafted jobs.[Via The Red Ferret Journal]
The Ferrari Segway: 0 to arcane in 60 seconds
Believe it or not there it is, the Ferrari-branded Segway. It's not any faster than the regular PT i2 and certainly won't help to convince the authorities to repeal any sidewalk-safety laws. It is red, however, and features a conspicuous Cavallino Rampante badge for all your subordinates to see. All yours Mr. PoloPants for just €8,429 or $12,000. [Via Sybarites, thanks RV]
Suzuki's PIXY + SSC concept thrives in post-nuclear wastelands
Let's face it, we've only got what, maybe three or four hundred years left to enjoy the great outdoors before pollution levels eventually prohibit even stepping foot outside without our personal breathing apparatus. Well Suzuki thinks that it will be in this bleak and toxin-filled future that motorized single-passenger vehicles like the Segway will finally thrive, and is preparing to capture a piece of this potentially lucrative market with a concept transportation system known as PIXY + SSC. Scheduled to be unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, this dynamic duo consists of a rolling transporter (SSC, or Suzuki Shared Coach) which can carry up to two PIXY runabouts -- fully-enclosed, three wheeled pods that will let you comfortably navigate a toxic or post-nuclear world. Suzuki plans to make these available "well before it becomes impossible to walk to our dealerships." Click on for a high-res pic...[Via Autoblog Green]
iSlide: the skateboard / Segway hybrid
Granted, the whole Segway-esque skateboard idea has been tossed around (and patented) before, but Tal Ofir decided to conjure up his own design, anyway. Dubbed a "motorized skateboard for an urban environment," this transporter touts a centrally placed wheel and a "computerized weight balance unit" to keep you upright, and it seems that it would be constructed primarily from epoxy and fiberglass. Reportedly, Ofir is fielding interest from potential investors who'd like to make this thing the next Razer scooter, but attaching any sort of hip factor to it will not be a simple task. Click on for another glimpse.[Via Gizmag]
US-based Segway polo team grabs gold in 2007 Woz Challenge Cup
Well, would you look at this -- the Silicon Valley Aftershocks (look familiar?) managed to avenge last year's tie by shutting out the New Zealand Pole Blacks in this year's Woz Challenge Cup. 'Course, we could explain exactly how all five goals were scored and how well balanced these finely-tuned athletes were, but let's be honest, we're not here for that. What we are here for, however, is the video coverage of the event, which is at least good for a few chuckles. Go on, check it out after the jump.Read - Woz Challenge Cup resultsRead - Video coverage of the event
Woz recreates "awesome" commercial for charity sale
Woz, always ready to entertain for charity's sake, has remade his old 280Z commercial ("It's awesome," if you didn't remember from the last time you watched it) to promote the charity sale of his Nissan 350Z. Unfortunately, rather than split-screening it, the old commercial fades up for the "awesome" line, so we don't actually get to see 2007 Woz talking about how awesome his car is. But he more than makes up for it with some nice lipsyncing, a short Segway ride, and the inclusion of a Weird Al song. Roll on, Woz!The sale itself is to benefit the IEEE lab at UC Berkeley, because Woz says that "on a global scale we are seeing America losing its competitiveness in engineering and technical skills. That is disappointing." And in addition to picking up Woz' own car (too bad it's not the Prius), you get lunch with the man himself, and the opportunity to "talk about anything that interests you."Surely that's worth the $100,000 he has listed for the sale, right? But it is for charity. If you've got an extra $100,000 sitting around, there are probably worse ways to spend it.[ via Macenstein, who has a very brown redesign going on ]
Opel's E-Flex Concept vehicle packs and charges a pair of Segways
Yeah, you read that right. What better way to deck out your plug-in hybrid concept mini-mini-van but to include charging bays for a product that flopped three years ago? That seems to be Opel's strategy with the new E-Flex, which runs on diesel, plugs into a wall, and wastes immense amounts of space toting around and charging a pair of Segways in back. Sheer idiocy -- so why do we want one so badly?[Thanks, Brian]
How would you change the Segway?
Believe it or not, it's been almost six years since Dean Kamen's highly-anticipated, mysterious "IT" project was revealed to be the Segway personal transporter, yet far from fundamentally revolutionizing the way we get from here to there as the pre-release hype would have had us believe, you'd be hard-pressed to spot one of these pricey gadgets anywhere outside of a few golf courses or in a certain Apple founder's garage. It's not that the idea of a personal battery-powered vehicle isn't sound, you say, it's just that the thing costs too damn much (over five grand last time we checked) -- but we can't believe that's the sole impediment to adoption. Would a significant price drop really be the only thing it took to turn a nation of car-addicted commuters into one of happy, self-stabilizing Segway riders? Or are there other core issues -- size, speed, and safety, perhaps -- that need to be addressed before the appeal of powered personal transportation reaches critical mass? As always, we love to hear your constructive suggestions and criticisms here, so please have at it...
Chicago cop chases down gunman on Segway
Believe it or not, Chicago policeman Thaddeus Martyka isn't the first cop to chase down a crook with the help of a Segway, but nevertheless, the two-wheeled wonder is to thank for yet another arrest. Whilst patrolling the streets and enjoying the summer breeze, the officer heard shots fired and decided to wheel over and see what the commotion was all about. Sure enough, the baddies were found scurrying away from the scene of a crime, and while one suspect managed to escape, the other wasn't so fortunate. Purportedly, the Segway reached a top speed of 12.5mph, which proved plenty fast to capture (and likely humiliate) at least one of the ill-willed individuals. [Image courtesy of PoliceOne]
Clever students create cheapo DIY Segway
A tenacious combination of high school and MIT students have put together their very own DIY Segway, which would likely have Dean Kamen rolling in his grave... if he were actually dead. The team of ingenious do-it-yourself'ers put together a fairly workable Segway knock-off for less than a thousand dollars that can keep pace with the actual model (11 MPH versus the real-deal's 12.5). By using off-the-shelf supplies, like a Machine Science XBoard microcontroller, pieces of Lexan for the steering mechanism, and light, cheap aluminum for the frame, the gang was able to assemble a fairly stripped down version of the scooter. Apparently, the kids are still working out the kinks, but if this keeps up, Kamen and crew might have to start watching their backs. Check the video after the break to see the still-shaky personal transporter in action.
Pay for your WoW account with PayPal
BlizzCon attendees already know this, but Blizzard just officially announced the ability to pay for your WoW account with PayPal.At BlizzCon, there was a PayPal booth where you could enter a contest to win one of 2 Segways, complete with helmet, if you switched your WoW account payment over to PayPal. Even if you didn't stop by the booth, the PayPal employees handed out many, many flyers. I think this is a step forward to make it easier for some customers to pay for their online hobby. Of course, the easier it is to pay, the greater the chance customers will keep doing it. It's good business. And it didn't even take developers off of whatever content you are waiting for!Is this good news for you? Will this make it easier for those of you currently using game time cards?And, if you are one of the BlizzCon attendees who won a Segway, will you please send us action pictures?
Orlando to offer Segway-riding city "ambassadors"
Apparently unfazed by the recent disbanding of the Segway Enthusiasts Group of America, Orlando, a city never known for its subtlety, has announced plans to spend $893,000 over the next two years on Segway-riding "ambassadors." The Loews and Kessler Hotel-trained workers will help tourists and locals alike by offering event information, directions, and general assistance. City leaders say they'll add a "theme-park-style" hospitality to the downtown area, but the Segway pilots will also be trained to help "transients," perform first aid using onboard defibrillators, and escort late-night workers to their cars. With this type of action taking place, it's probably safe to say that a Segway worker's union isn't too far away.
Segway fan club disbands, tries to pick up the pieces
In a stroke of continued bad luck for the 22 remaining Segway supporters around the globe, one of the personal transporter's largest fan organizations, the Segway Enthusiasts Group of America (or SEG), has decided to disband. Group treasurer Fred Kaplan says that inactivity and absence of candidates for its board of directors contributed to the decision, though he also blames Segway Inc. itself, alleging the company refused to share its customer list with the fan club, which led to dwindling numbers. "We had a list that was essentially three years old," Kaplan said, though Segway reps claim they have been otherwise supportive. The company says that the group's demise is not representative of transporter sales, which they report are up 50 percent since 2002. Segway spokeswoman Carla Vallone went on to add that the company is considering launching its own corporate fan club to replace SEG, and then snidely promised that its email list would be "totally up-to-date."
Teen engineers create eco-minded electric unicycle
Two clever Canadian teen-scientists have built a bizarre, eco-friendly electric bike which runs on principals similar to those of the Segway -- but looks way cooler. The motorized prototype (called either the "Uno" or "Tango," depending on who you speak with), sports two wheels side-by-side, sort of like a double unicycle which the rider sits directly above. The bike, based off of the frame design of a Yamaha R6 sport bike, can reach speeds of up to 40 MPH, and uses accelerometer technology to keep its balance. Inventors Ben Gulak and Jason Morrow say that the bike beats out the Segway in terms of speed, and delivers better maneuverability than Bombardier's Embrio unicycle concept. The whole package is surprisingly powered by amped-up wheelchair motors and 36-volt batteries. Next up, the young men plan to assemble a rag-tag band of colorful characters, get on their bikes, and ride into Neo-Tokyo during a riot.[Via Ubergizmo]
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]
Rumors: PaRappa 3 to PS3, Silent Hill 5 has US developer
As they do just before every new Electronic Gaming Monthly issue hits newsstands, 1UP is teasing us with a few tidbits from their Quartermann rumor section. Most prominent is that PaRappa the Rapper 3 is coming to PlayStation 3, and "none of the that ported PSP nonsense."Another eye-catcher is that Silent Hill 5 is being developed "by a US team" for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PSP Silent Hill Origins is currently in development by US-based Climax Group. The third teaser from 1UP is more of a no-brainer: "Electronic Arts isn't happy just controlling the NFL -- they want the MLB and NBA, too." We never really thought EA would stop until they had every sport from Football to Segway polo under their belt.Joystiq's Kyle Orland calculated that Quartermann's rumors "are just as likely to be true as they are false," so flip a coin for Silent Hill 5 and PaRappa 3. Ya gotta believe! [Image Credit]
Long Beach cops use Segway to nab thieves
We certainly can't say that we'd voluntarily place ourselves on a Segway in order to patrol Long Beach, but officer Jose Miguez managed to utilize the breakneck (ahem) speed available on the two-wheeled Personal Transporter to arrest a horrifically embarrassed 13-year old carjacker. Notably, the Segway was no match for the Mercedes-Benz's engine at first, but after the obviously unlicensed driver and his partners in crime leaped from the car just before it slammed into a utility pole, their worn legs were no match for the potent battery-powered engine. Sure, it doesn't sound like the most exciting police chase ever witnessed or anything, but it's not everyday you see a Segway extending the long arm of the law.[Via Wired]
10 MPH: Coast to Coast on a Segway in 100 days (and 3 years)
There's nothing like heading out coast-to-coast. Beat, and otherwise anti-establishment poets have glamorized the open road for years. In fact, the idea has inspired rollerbladers, runners, lawn mowers (really, look it up), and now... a Segway. 10 MPH is dubbed a "comical documentary" following two dudes who quit their jobs to Segway (is that a verb?) from Seattle to Boston in 100 days. 100 days you say? The project was launched almost 3 years ago! Although we typically avoid any films which rely on the use of "zany" in the promotional materials, this films won the Best Documentary prize at the auspicious East Lansing Film Festival. So really, how bad could it be?
KAIST shows off "Hubo-Way" Segway derivative
Having already accomplished the considerable feat of getting a robot to balance on its own two feet, engineers at Korea's Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (otherwise known as KAIST) now appears to have turned their attention to us humans, although they haven't exactly taken the most original approach. As you can see above, the Institute's so-called "Hubo-Way" takes a fair bit of inspiration from the Segway, although the technology has supposedly been "modified" to some extent. From the looks of it, the most significant of those modifications is the actual cost of the device, which the engineers say is half that of the Segway. Of course, there's no indication as to when or if the device might actually be commercialized, so it looks like you'll have to be content with the current crop of Segway-esque if you're not willing to throw down for the real thing.
