Handlebar-less Segway
 

Yes people, it is now a reality :)
http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/gadgets...try_id=1298966

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Looks like very little ground clearance.

What happens when you hit a 1'' high object such as a rock or stick? :ahh:

It looks like a flying death trap to me because thats what you are going to be doing.

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Reminds me of the saying "Don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see".

I am extremely skeptical. :confused: Is this a prototype or a real product? Not sure what I am seeing in the picture on the right, but it looks like some type of stabilizing wheel or roller under the platform - not real balancing technology. I'll believe it when I get to see and try one. Until then I will believe it is a piece of junk like the "Q" scooter is/was.

While I often ride my Segway with no hands and have learned how to make gradual sweeping turns by leaning, there is no way to really manuever without an "active" steering control.

Re: Handlebar-less Segway wannabe!
 

I don't see any official ties to Segway LLC, so don't call it a Segway.
That thing is an insult, and yes.. as Brad said, looks very dangerous.

I would move this out of this forum, and seperate the words Segway and this thread's product focus from each other.

While it does look like a good use of technology, it seems like it has more hazards and potential for accidents than a Segway does.

I hope a lawsuit is underway as well. Seriously.

Anyways.. if this mockery of the one and only Segway does in fact make it to market somehow, I hope it's not marketed as a Personal Transportation Device, but more as a scientific robotic platform.. just as the Segway RMP is.

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Something similar has existed for a good while. http://tlb.org/eunicycle.html (this guy must be making a mint off AdSense btw).

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

i will bring this to work tomorrow and see what people think, unfortunately i doubt i will be able to tell you what i find out

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

It just doesnt seem plausabile

I have seen a few people on their segways when they are not moving and (correct me if im rong) they seem to be moving back and forth making small adjustments to keep balenced. I know i wouldnt like this because there isn anything to hold on to, i like the feeling of secruity (wether it be decided be just a small piece of tube it makes me feel beter) and that would be like riding a skate board that could tip over and move unexpectedly.


i dont like it

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

It doesnt sound like a real seqway to me it sounds like a radio controlled car you can stand on. :ahh:

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

This thread brings back some memories of a nice scrape i got on my Segway... i was fooling around one day and decided to see if the Segway could operate without the handlebar on.

Anyone who knows about the workings of the Segway knows there are essential components in the handlebars that are tethered to the base by a wire. I left the wire connected, but just held the handlebars at my side. After placing the seg in balance mode, i carefully stepped on the platform with one foot. The Segway reacted quickly and violently -- without the handlebars the motors sent the Segway into a fast and furious back and forth motion, knocking me over-- after a second or two it realized something was wrong and shutdown, but not before a nice scrape on my elbow from the ground :)

Just a fun story!

Tom

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

It doesn't look like it'd work out as well as they're letting on. It just looks like it's too hard to keep your balance on one of those things without any handlebars.

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

the article does say that it has a "handheld controller" but you and some of the others are still right, without being given better pictures or seeing one in action we don't know if these just control the lateral movements that are controlled on the Segway or every aspect of its movement. I however still think it looks awesome and cant find any reasons why if a Segway works this cant(keep in mind I've only rode a Segway once at regionals for a few minutes). it appears to me that the guy in the picture is using its wider surface to position himself on it in a diagonal way with his legs farther apart(like on a skateboard) which may allow for the stability that was lost by taking the handle bars off to be regained, and even if this thing turns out to be nothing more than an RC transporter like Cuog suggested as long as they don't try to sell it as a Segway i think its still awesome and may turn out to be more affordable than Segways or dare i say possibly more practical due to its small size. (I'm not saying Dean's invention isn't great, because it is. I'm just saying that we cant all get so wrapped up in FIRST and forget that GP doesn't exist as much in the real world, besides if you look at it from an Adam Smith point of view competition leads to improvements and benefits the people)

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

AFAIK, Dean already owns the patent rights to that handle-less Segway. This picture was from one of Dean's patent applications, and covers alternate designs of the Segway. As you can see, none of these have handle bars. Figure 11 is very similar to the handlebar-less "Segway" in this thread. This isn't about GP, its about ideas and rights. Dean has repeatedly said that ideas are what will drive the future, so he sure is not going to let someone else "steal" (even if unintentional) his ideas while his patents are still valid. Although GP is not the law of the land outside of FIRST, patent rights are.

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

there are more pictures of it here.

http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news...way+PMP-2.html


also don't worry about them stealing the Intellectual property of Dean, Deka, and Segway. I know for a fact that they know about this already and if it does infringe on the patents then something will be done about it. The thing that alot of people don't understand is that a patent is not bullet proof. When you write a patent there are "claims" that you must make. A good patent will be broad enough to cover alot of options but specific enough to count as a new idea, it is very possible that they found a loophole in the patent. Either way with all the problems that Segway has had getting approved for use in cities i highly doubt this will take off in the USeven if it is $1000

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

well i didn't know that and no one had really made it clear so thanks for clearing it up for me and I'm sure others who may have shared my confusion.

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Wow, the "kill" switch on it looks like a small version of what we have in our shop. And guess what it does. Yep, stops everything. Not exactly what I would want to balancing thingy under me to do if I had a problem. Or accidently hit it...

Oh man.....I know. Its the new challenge on MXC!!:D

http://www.spiketv.com/shows/series/...0774&refID=mxc

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Oooooooh! Patent law! Fun!

If you ever get a chance, sit through a patenting basics seminar. The whole process is very, very interesting, and you learn about a rare instance where lawyerism is intertwined with engineeringism.

FYI, MXC, which was original Takehashi's Castle, was filmed in the late 80's so I don't think any "new" challenges will be added.

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Ha, maybe thats why it looks so crappy. lol. Maybe there'll be a revival due to the appearance of such a perfect device for pain, and all made right in Japan!

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Well there was a a new one that Spike filmed a year ago or so. It featured two college teams, and one of leaders was Tony Halk (I think).

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Personally I find this very interesting. First off I wonder about acceleration. Without a handlebar how do you balance when it changes vectors, it might need to employ a wide turn so you don't have it moving 15 mph in one direction and the rider moving 15 mph in another :D . It appears to have a good clearance and doesn't appear to employ a stabilization wheel (I think they put that under it to prop it up for the picture, and is in fact not an actual piece of the device).

Having started doing research for a design of mine Ive started to realize how loose a patents can be. Since we know little to nothing about the technology employed on this device I think its safe to say that if they built it and plan on marketing it then chances are it wont violate any patents. Patents are very specific, hence the need for a lawyer, and little changes are often enough to constitute a new invention. Unfortunately you can't patent "a two wheeled electronic balancing transporter", though maybe trademarking the image.... probably not :) . In fact Ive come across a couple other 2 wheeled inventions currently being marketed, though admittedly none of them were meant for transportation of humans. Of coarse not being a patent lawyer, only starting to become familiar with the intricacies of patents, and no knowledge of the mechanics of this device I can only speculate.

Anyways I do agree with them that its portability has good marketing potential. I also agree with posts here that with any transportations vehicle it is going to have safety hazards and is probably going to employ safety gear you wouldn't otherwise use on Segway, like elbow pads :p . The only thing nagging at me is that that safety cutoff button appears so be on a very dinky cable and I can just imagine it getting under the wheels and snagged on something. I wonder how Segway will respond to this potential source of competition... Overall it's an interesting path for the two wheeled transportation devices to take (and yes calling it a Segway despite resemblances stretches some barriers pretty thin). Does anyone know when or if they plan to market it to the public and at what price?

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

I would really suggest that anyone who wants to know more about Dean or about the development of the Segway should read Code Name Ginger. In addition to being a good book, there is also a lot of detail about the development of the Segway, starting from the iBOT wheelchair concept. It says that originally the Segway was like this one, and it did not have a handle on it. But due to mounting concerns over issues such as safety, they abandoned the handlebar-less idea and incorporated a handle.

Also, if anyone was curious, here is a link to all of Dean's patents. If you scroll down a bit, you will find that one of Dean's patents (number 6,651,766; entitled "Personal Mobility Vehicles and Methods) includes the following information:
And patent number 6,920,947, entitled "Personal Transporter";
The "unstable with respect to tipping when the motorized drive arrangement is not powered" may cover this the handlebar-less "Segway". If they were to put a 'training wheel' kind of thing that came down at low speeds to prevent tipping, they might be have a case that they are not in violation of that patent. And then we get to the "Personal Transporter" patent. The makers of the handlebar-less "Segway" would have to reverse engineer the entire Segway and find other ways to accomplish the same end result. There are a whole host of other patents involving the Segway, that all would prove immensely difficult (but not impossible) to try to get past them if they wished to move into production.

BTW, did anyone else notice that Dean just recieved a patent for a multi-person personal transporter? Does this mean we will see Segway sidecars sometime soon? :yikes:

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

I am enjoying the last statement of the patent.

"The described embodiments of the invention are intended to be merely exemplary and numerous variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. "

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

The statement you enjoyed is not unique to this patent; read a few more patents and you will find nearly identical statements near the end of their 'description' sections. Lawyers are taught to include such statements whenever possible when drafting patents, so that the claims can be extended to cover variations that are not mentioned explicitly.

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Ehh, patents don't mean much. If Segway files a lawsuit against this company, I hope IBM files a lawsuit against nearly all software companies.

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=E...2005102631&F=0

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

i bet dean would bet you $100,000,000 that you are wrong

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

Look at the link I provided. It's a patent on the progress bar.

Progress. Bar.

Dean is great and all, but let Capitalism take its path. If people start making knock-off Segways, let them. The customers will buy the higher quality one. If this one is not the one made by Segway, LLC. then shame on them. They'll have to create a better version. Now the other company will have to one-up them to get back their market share.

In the end, the users benefit.

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

hmmmmm, looks intriguing, but personally, i'd prefer handle bars :D

:]

Re: Handlebar-less Segway
 

TRUE.
i was lucky enough to be able to view a prototype.

no handlebars.

i really don't think it's safe, though. at all.

meh. me likey the handlebars, thanks.