I was thinking, Segway has a top speed. Also when you lean forward, the base accelerates under you to keep you balanced and to move you forward. So lean forward and go faster. But what happens if you are at the top speed and you lean forward, the base cannot accelerate to keep you balanced. So, do you fall over if you lean forward while going top speed?
I don’t know the answer, but it is still a good question. I’m sure they probably looked at this in the design stages, but you never know. Something could always fall through the cracks.
A basic part of machine control is examining the response of the machine, in each state, to both expected and unexpected inputs. The problem is you can only test those inputs you think of. From my limited experience, machine operators are very creative when developing unexpected inputs. Much more creative than I am in trying to anticipate them.
Of course the next question is:
If they haven’t tested for this, who volunteers to be the test pilot to try the experiment? Before you answer, remember that that clothes you are wearing could be all that’s between you and good case of what an EMT friend years ago called “Honda Rash”.
Kevlar anyone?
My guess is that IT can never truly attain top speed. The computers don’t allow you to go top speed incase they need to use that little bit of extra speed to balance you out. Since most of the Segways out there have a software limit on how fast they can go, it wouldn’t suprise me if that’s how it’s done.
Check out this link; looks like there is something called the “headroom monitor” that prevents this.
Dan