the segway just got a whole lot cooler

[J.Warsoff]

I was at the New York International Auto Show when this was unveiled. I saw it first hand...
http://www.segway.com/puma/

this is so freakin cool

[JesseK]

Leave it to Mr. Kamen to squish the SMART car concept even smaller. Looks pretty awesome for urban environments. There would need to be a cultural adjustment before they can be used though; drivers are already fairly complacent about bikers on the road. It seems like anything that's small and slower than a 'normal' car is likely to get run off the road.

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by JesseK

Leave it to Mr. Kamen to squish the SMART car concept even smaller. Looks pretty awesome for urban environments. There would need to be a cultural adjustment before they can be used though; drivers are already fairly complacent about bikers on the road. It seems like anything that's small and slower than a 'normal' car is likely to get run off the road.

Go-Karts enter the 21st century!

That would be sooo much fun. Easy to get sued too probably.

[Chris is me]

I could have sworn this was unveiled 1-2 years ago...

[RoboDesigners]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I could have sworn this was unveiled 1-2 years ago...

I thought so, too...

[JamesBrown]

Originally Posted by RoboDesigners

I thought so, too...

I believe it was announced in April of 2009.

[gblake]

That thing looks slightly warmer than a bicycle and just about as crashworthy.

You are unlikely to get me into vehicle lanes in one. The roads around me are littered with debris from busted head/taillights, bumpers and grills. I see an accident aftermath at least once a week.

I can imagine the stain that would be created if a current "real" car drove over the top of two people in one of these.

Incrementally introducing these doesn't sound like a viable strategy.

Blake

[pfreivald]

*sigh*

As much as I respect Dean as an inventor and as incredibly cool as his inventions are, it seems to me that the Segway and this mini-car suffer from the same problem: they solve a problem that doesn't exist.

It must be significantly better than legs, affordable, not subject to massive liability issues wrt transportation safety, etc...

OR significantly better than a car, affordable, not subject to massive liability issues wrt transportation safety, etc...

And as the Segway replaces legs in a rather cool but non-cost-effective way, this seems to replace legs + umbrella + backpack in a rather cool non-cost-effective way.

[J.Warsoff]

yes i know it was unveiled in 2009. i was there when it was unveiled. but the thing is, it is still in developement, because of it's complexity. when i was at the unveiling, they showed an animation that depicted special sidewalks/roads that were adjacent to the streets that would be made specifically for the PUMA. also, compared to the segway and other similar vehicles, this is quite fast: top speed of 35 mph. plus you can have 2 passengers

[Tytus Gerrish]

20k it's not that impressive for an electric vehicle

[J.Warsoff]

Originally Posted by Tytus Gerrish

20k it's not that impressive for an electric vehicle

hey its faster than walking

plus its not meant for going really fast. its basically a multi passanger, slightly faster, longer lasting, and concept version of a modified segway using the same technology

[gblake]

Originally Posted by Aerosound

... they showed an animation that depicted special sidewalks/roads that were adjacent to the streets that would be made specifically for the PUMA. ...

Oh! Well, that's a different story - I can see that happening quickly, cheaply and widely -

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by pfreivald

As much as I respect Dean as an inventor and as incredibly cool as his inventions are, it seems to me that the Segway and this mini-car suffer from the same problem: they solve a problem that doesn't exist.

The problem very much exists in urban areas - when you want to be able to travel greater than 1 mile but less than 10 miles where roads and sidewalks are too congested to make a car practical, not to mention the environmental impact of a car.

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

The problem very much exists in urban areas - when you want to be able to travel greater than 1 mile but less than 10 miles where roads and sidewalks are too congested to make a car practical, not to mention the environmental impact of a car.

Is this designed to go on the **road**?

Seems like a serious safety hazard to me.

Perhaps if cities were redesigned to accomodate personal transport vehicles such as these, they might be a viable alternative... But for now and the forseeable future, we're stuck with either sidewalks or the road.

[J.Warsoff]

Originally Posted by pfreivald

Is this designed to go on the **road**?

Seems like a serious safety hazard to me.

Perhaps if cities were redesigned to accomodate personal transport vehicles such as these, they might be a viable alternative... But for now and the forseeable future, we're stuck with either sidewalks or the road.

well as i said before, special roads adjacent to the sidewalks would be made for this vehicle