IT revealed...no really, it's on time's website, it's a sc00ter

[BrunoPuntzJones]

<< He's definitely underestimaded how lazy North Americans are, and how much we like out automobiles and all the comforts that go with them. >>

ah, but like a said above, i dont think this will be a hit in america, at least for a while. he has secured contracts with police, the post office, and other corporations. will be curious to see how that plays for the public. i imagine places like china or japan (wherever there are lots of people and little space) this could be a huge success. just need to make a buggy type thing for it.

 

[zippy]

Typical...

I don't have much use for one as I don't live in a city, but I sure as hell want one.

For one, think of how much $ you would be saving. Consider all of the costs that go into owning a car (including initial purchase and gas!), consider how environment-friendly this thing is.

<< OR...... I can get out of bed a hour or two earlier, drag some heavy awkward two wheeled device out of my house, walk downstairs and warm the thing up then drive at the speed of a slow jog all the way to work - most likely without my beifcase and Laptop. >>

Why would you have to get up an hour or two earlier? Heavy is not yet known, awkward it certainly is not (did you read the article or just look at the pretty pictures?), yeah, you walk downstairs anyway, warm the thing up? WTF are you talking about? It's electric! Do you warm up your lamps?! 10mph is a SLOW jog? Alright olympic sprinter! Some of the fastest marathon runners run at about 10mph for the 26.2 miles that they run. How do you normally walk with your briefcase or laptop? Same applies here, hold it, put a strap around your shoulder, whatever.

<sarcasm>YAY! Lets resist change and make no progress from ruining our planet! I hate being practical with things - let's all sit in traffic for 2 hours! </sarcasm>

Ignorance is bliss...I'm asking you, is it? :|

 

[uCsDNerd]

whOoPs

 

[Logix]

This will be the fourth thread, I think, that I've posted this in:

It looks like a lawnmower: NY Times picture

BTW, this link works whether you're registered or not.

 

[zippy]

<<

<< He's definitely underestimaded how lazy North Americans are, and how much we like out automobiles and all the comforts that go with them. >>

ah, but like a said above, i dont think this will be a hit in america, at least for a while. he has secured contracts with police, the post office, and other corporations. will be curious to see how that plays for the public. i imagine places like china or japan (wherever there are lots of people and little space) this could be a huge success. just need to make a buggy type thing for it. >>

Agreed. I think with this stereotypical lazy American attitude that couldn't give a rat's ass about the environment, we won't see this be a big hit on the consumer level for a few years here in the states.

 

[StageLeft]

Obviously this isn't made for people commuting 30 miles to work. It's intended for the MILLIONS of people who live quite close to work and don't even really need to take a car. I could easily make use of one except that there is a very poor infrastructure in this city for getting around without a car. There are very few sidewalks, and certainly no bike trails.

BTW for those naysayers please realize that Kamen is an _exceptionally_ smart guy. He is well endowed with a lot of money and is intelligent enough not to throw away money into something that nobody will use. I remember a year back some notable figures who were given a secret glance at IT and they were nothing less than astounded.

 

[Infidelity]

Zippy, thanks its people like you that save the planet I will wave HI as I fly by on my 6 cylinder 3.0 liter!

BTW for those naysayers please realize that Kamen is an _exceptionally_ smart guy. He is well endowed with a lot of money and is intelligent enough not to throw away money into something that nobody will use. I remember a year back some notable figures who were given a secret glance at IT and they were nothing less than astounded.

I bet it will astound people but that doesn't mean I'm going to give 3,000 for this.

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

<< Nice toy. >>

 

[Lankin]

1. Its not heavy. Unless you are a weakling. Its 65 pounds and you can take it apart.
2. It gets up to 15 mph
3. We have yet to see the industrial one, maybe it is larger/slightly different. Has to be, several companies/insitiutions are doing trials of it in Jan/Feb.


Id buy one. Im to lazy to walk or get a bike heh... And all Id need it for is to travel 2-5 miles per way(depending on where I wanted to go). Of course Id still need a car for going farther, but in everyday life, I dont need a car. It would be good for colleges, although its pricey. Id expect the price to be lower within 6 months...

 

[DuffmanOhYeah]

<< well this is 100% no emissions, there is no engine, motor, throttle, brake, etc. carries the average person all day non-stop >>



HOLY CRAP! Know what else does this and is absolutely free??? WALKING!!!

 

[Infidelity]

Its not heavy. Unless you are a weakling. Its 65 pounds and you can take it apart.
65 pounds :Q. I'm no weaklen but 65 pounds is a lot for most people to hault up and down the stairs. I hate moving my bike up and down and its only like 20 pounds.

 

[Lankin]

Yeah but this is four times faster than walking...

 

[Infidelity]

Ok I need to go sleep.. but there are too many intagibles with this thing. What kind of security will it have.. a simple key? Can anyone just take it and run away with it? Will it have an umbrells on the top and an mp3 player with headphones built in? Will it be a bubble with temperature and climate control? Do you need a license? WIll it share the bike lanes? Blah so many questions.. I hope they make this come out in Europe first.

 

[GoodToGo]

my 5 year old cousin can go faster on a tricycle.

 

[NeoV]

amazing how skeptical some people are..

this guy is one of the brightest people of our time, and has invented some truly fantastic advancements for mankind.

For all of you that say " I'll by flying by you in my 5.0", have you ever heard of something called rush-hour? Have you ever "flown" by anyone or anything in the Atlanta area? LA? Chicago? NY? Indianapolis? Any major city? No, you haven't, at least not in the morning or after work M-F, and for some of the bigger cities, not on the weekends either! The Segway is not intended to replace cars, but imagine downtown NY with no cars clogging up every street for as far as you can see, and instead, picture people walking and riding these things to/fro. These things have wonderful potential, and the technology involved is clearly staggering.

Before you jump in and say "IT is a scooter! BAH!", think a bit deeper about how this can be used and appreciate the minds and technology involved.

 

[Kenazo]

there's some great quotes in those time atricles.
"it makes no sense at all for people in cities to use a 4,000-lb. piece of metal to haul their 150-lb. asses around town." (Kamen)

"A bachelor, Kamen lives near Manchester in a hexagonally shaped, 32,000-sq.-ft. house he designed. Outside, there's a giant wind turbine to generate power and a fully lighted baseball diamond; in the basement, a foundry and a machine shop. Kamen's vehicles include a Hummer, a Porsche and two helicopters--both of which he helped design and one of which he uses to commute to work each day. He also owns an island off the coast of Connecticut. He calls it North Dumpling, and he considers it a sovereign state. It has a flag, a navy, a currency (one bill has the value of pi) and a mutual nonaggression pact with the U.S., signed by Kamen and the first President Bush (as a joke, we think)."

Text


"in the same way, when you use a Segway, there's a gyroscope that acts like your inner ear, a computer that acts like your brain, motors that act like your muscles, wheels that act like your feet."

"In every Segway there are 10 microprocessors cranking out three PCs' worth of juice. Also a cluster of aviation-grade gyros, an accelerometer, a bevy of sensors, two batteries and software so sophisticated it puts Microsoft to shame" As if its hard to beat microsoft..


Anyway if you want more, go read the articles. I think this inventor dude is a quack, but man, he can invent some cool stuff.

 

[j0lly]

I like it.

 

[heliotrope7]

read the Time article - somehow managed to miss all the hype....

the IBOT sounds more like a revolutionary invention than the Segway, although I see where this could catch on...

going to the corporate market first may have it benefits -
they can work their initial kinks out there... customer support
and safety issues (i.e making these things ID10T compliant)
as well as ramping up the production line
before getting swamped with consumer orders -
(Steve Jobs could tell these guys LOTS about that)


overall, I could see this selling quite well once they get their price point down and their production up....

 

[ShadowHunter]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH ROFLMAOPIMP!!! THIS is the almighty IT? HAHAHAHAHAHA

A frickin scooter is going to change the world?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Oh man my side hurts....ROFLMAOPIMP

 

[ShadowHunter]

<< amazing how skeptical some people are..

this guy is one of the brightest people of our time, and has invented some truly fantastic advancements for mankind.

For all of you that say " I'll by flying by you in my 5.0", have you ever heard of something called rush-hour? Have you ever "flown" by anyone or anything in the Atlanta area? LA? Chicago? NY? Indianapolis? Any major city? No, you haven't, at least not in the morning or after work M-F, and for some of the bigger cities, not on the weekends either! The Segway is not intended to replace cars, but imagine downtown NY with no cars clogging up every street for as far as you can see, and instead, picture people walking and riding these things to/fro. These things have wonderful potential, and the technology involved is clearly staggering.

Before you jump in and say "IT is a scooter! BAH!", think a bit deeper about how this can be used and appreciate the minds and technology involved. >>



I'm sorry, but thats stupid. Instead of being a traffic jam of cars, it will be a traffic jam of retarded scooters. ROFL

EDIT: Being a little more nice.... yes they are marvels of engineering and science. But frankly it was a waste. Maybe China will adopt them or something, but they will be a bust here in the States, IMHO.

 

[Bluga]

sorry guys, but this "invention" is extremely LAME.

 

[Kenazo]

it does sound pretty farfetched.. but it wouldn't surprise me... something will have to replace the automobile eventually.

 

[Lucky]

<< Zippy, thanks its people like you that save the planet I will wave HI as I fly by on my 6 cylinder 3.0 liter!

BTW for those naysayers please realize that Kamen is an _exceptionally_ smart guy. He is well endowed with a lot of money and is intelligent enough not to throw away money into something that nobody will use. I remember a year back some notable figures who were given a secret glance at IT and they were nothing less than astounded.

I bet it will astound people but that doesn't mean I'm going to give 3,000 for this. >>





Early computers cost 5-8-10 grand. What do they cost now, $250 for a build-it-yourself decent rig? The cost of ginger will come down eventually, just like every new technology.

 

[SpongeBob]

I think it's pretty damn cool. I'd buy one.

 

[Infidelity]

but it wouldn't surprise me... something will have to replace the automobile eventually.
Only flying automobiles will replace it not scooters.