On Apr 7, 10:39*am, dave a wrote:
Cliff wrote:
On 7 Apr 2009 16:15:40 +0800, adchin wrote:

I think it's called a motorbike

* The P.U.M.A. prototype
*http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=15888

I notice that it is operating on a sidewalk or some sort of cordoned off
area. *Are they proposing that all urban streets get rebuilt to
accommodate these?

Any small vehicle has the same issue, that the US roads weren't built
for them and traffic is often too aggressive. It's a major problem for
power wheelchair users, too. Around here about the only motorcycles
seen are Harleys with big dudes on them. I retired my smaller Honda
years ago after being cut off and tailgated too many times, and I
didn't ride slowly or timidly at all.

Disregarding the societal issues, a Segway is an excellent combination
of the mobility of a bicycle and the size and maneuverability of a
pedestrian. Unlike a bicycle they can stop still effortlessly or creep
forward in a line or spin around within their own footprint. We used
them in the engineering office cubicle area which was narrower than
usual because of all the Segways lining the corridor. The only place
they couldn't go as easily as a person was up to the administrative
offices, since the Segway factory was built without an elevator.

They stop very abruptly when you lean back. There isn't much
difference from the braking ability of a motorcycle, the limit is
wheel slip and they have sticky tires, similar to Michelin Arctic
Alpins. You have to learn to judge the condition of the pavement but
not as much as for a bicycle. We ran them on wet grass, dirt trails,
and the loose gravel of the railroad that runs behind the factory.

Jim Wilkins

On Apr 7, 9:39*am, dave a wrote:
I notice that it is operating on a sidewalk or some sort of cordoned off
area. *Are they proposing that all urban streets get rebuilt to
accommodate these?

Segway has been working hard to get their device allowed on sidewalks
all over the country. From http://www.humantransport.org/bicycl...ay/Segway.htm:

"Segway LLC seeks public acceptance of Segway use on sidewalks and in
other pedestrian spaces in order to allow their customers to drive it
anywhere that a pedestrian may go. Although traffic law typically
prohibits or severely restricts the operation most types of vehicles
(especially motorized vehicles) in pedestrian spaces, Segway LLC has
promoted legislation in every U.S. state to exempt Segway-like
scooters, or "Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices" (EPAMDs),
by classifying the EPAMD driver as a pedestrian just like a wheelchair
user. This classification has generated protests from some pedestrian
advocates who believe that the speed and weight of EPAMDs will create
hazards and discomfort for pedestrians."

wrote:
On Apr 7, 9:50 am, Cliff wrote:

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 06:35:51 -0700 (PDT), wrote:


I imagine it gently drops the front onto the casters, then brakes
hard, wasted time and then limited braking force from the rear wheels.

What rear wheels?
--
Cliff


If it were on the main/drive wheels and the front casters, for the
purpose of describing vehicle dynamics it becomes appropriate to
describe the main/drive wheels as the 'rear' wheels.

Overall the vehicle has one (or two?) wheels in the back to prevent it
rolling over backwards, the main drive wheels, and two (looks like 2)
casters in the front.

Dave

Sure makes me wonder how it'd handle the snow and ice we get here in Red
Sox Nation. (And it gets even WORSE elsewhere in the nation.)

And how would it handle steep San Francico style hills?

Anyone know how the Segway responds to icy sidewalks and steep hills?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

On Apr 7, 12:36*pm, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:
wrote:
On Apr 7, 9:50 am, Cliff wrote:

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 06:35:51 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I imagine it gently drops the front onto the casters, then brakes
hard, wasted time and then limited braking force from the rear wheels.

*What rear wheels?
--
Cliff

If it were on the main/drive wheels and the front casters, for the
purpose of describing vehicle dynamics it becomes appropriate to
describe the main/drive wheels as the 'rear' wheels.

Overall the vehicle has one (or two?) wheels in the back to prevent it
rolling over backwards, the main drive wheels, and two (looks like 2)
casters in the front.

Dave

Sure makes me wonder how it'd handle the snow and ice we get here in Red
Sox Nation. (And it gets even WORSE elsewhere in the nation.)

And how would it handle steep San Francico style hills?

Anyone know how the Segway responds to icy sidewalks and steep hills?
Jeffry Wisnia

I do not speak for them and can't be too specific about details but in
my experience they are within the range of shoes, better than dress
shoes and maybe worse than hiking boots. Both the original factory in
Manchester and the newer one in Bedford NH are on steep parts of the
bank of the Merrimack river, I've seen a Jeep unable to climb the
pavement there on a bad winter day. The dirt trail behind the factory
runs along the river and crosses ravines, some of them quite steep and
slippery.

I only worked part time and on call as a temp there and never had a
chance to ride one outdoors on ice, plus the one they loaned me didn't
have the wide lugged off-road wheels. I may not be the person to give
"reasonable" advice anyway, since I used to run my dirt bike on
snowmobile trails and frozen lakes with unstudded trial tires.

Jim Wilkins

On Apr 7, 4:23 am, Cliff wrote:
On Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:12:41 -0400, Cliff wrote:
On 7 Apr 2009 16:15:40 +0800, adchin wrote:

I think it's called a motorbike

The P.U.M.A. prototype
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=15888

http://www.segway.com/blog/20090406i...-puma-329.html
http://www.segway.com/puma/

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayS...//image.emeral...
--
Cliff

The only potential advantage over in-line two wheelers is that,
supposedly, it won't fall over. This could eliminate a whole class of
injuries and attract people who are scared of bikes and motorbikes.
But people will still get seriously injured in that thing in car-
loveseat collisions.

On Apr 8, 2:37*am, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message

eonecommunications...





wrote:
On Apr 7, 9:50 am, Cliff wrote:

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 06:35:51 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I imagine it gently drops the front onto the casters, then brakes
hard, wasted time and then limited braking force from the rear wheels..

*What rear wheels?
--
Cliff

If it were on the main/drive wheels and the front casters, for the
purpose of describing vehicle dynamics it becomes appropriate to
describe the main/drive wheels as the 'rear' wheels.

Overall the vehicle has one (or two?) wheels in the back to prevent it
rolling over backwards, the main drive wheels, and two (looks like 2)
casters in the front.

Dave

Sure makes me wonder how it'd handle the snow and ice we get here in Red
Sox Nation. (And it gets even WORSE elsewhere in the nation.)

And how would it handle steep San Francico style hills?

Anyone know how the Segway responds to icy sidewalks and steep hills?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

Actually Segways handle SF hills ok. *There is at least one tour company
that uses Segways.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

There's a lot less mass to get up the hill. Think of one of the simple
machines, the inclined plane. As the mass of the object increases, the
force (work being done) increases.

Cliff wrote:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,2638670.story
[
GM, Segway think 2 wheels
The companies plan to develop a two-wheeled, two-seat electric vehicle as a
clean, safe and inexpensive alternative to traditional cars.
Associated Press
April 7, 2009

New York -- A solution to the world's urban transportation problems could lie in
two wheels, not four, according to executives of General Motors Corp. and Segway
Inc.

The companies plan to announce today that they are developing a two-wheeled,
two-seat electric vehicle designed to be a safe, inexpensive and clean
alternative to traditional cars for cities across the world.

The companies said their project, dubbed PUMA, for Personal Urban Mobility and
Accessibility, would include a communications network allowing vehicles to
interact with one another to regulate traffic flow and prevent crashes.

The 300-pound prototype runs on a lithium-ion battery and dual electric motors
and .....
]


Dear Segway---

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice--won't get fooled again!!"

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001

On Apr 8, 2:32*am, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"RobertH" wrote in message

...





On Apr 7, 4:23 am, Cliff wrote:
On Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:12:41 -0400, Cliff wrote:
On 7 Apr 2009 16:15:40 +0800, adchin wrote:

I think it's called a motorbike

*The P.U.M.A. prototype
*http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=15888

*http://www.segway.com/blog/20090406i...-puma-329.html
*http://www.segway.com/puma/

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayS...//image.emeral....
--
Cliff

The only potential advantage over in-line two wheelers is that,
supposedly, it won't fall over. This could eliminate a whole class of
injuries and attract people who are scared of bikes and motorbikes.
But people will still get seriously injured in that thing in car-
loveseat collisions.

Instead if falling over, it would fall frontwards or backwards. *Still
falling over.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Uh, the thing has 4 wheels... Pfffftttt... Look at the pictures

Uh, the thing has 4 wheels... Pfffftttt... Look at the pictures

yeah, just like a top fuel funny dragster has 6 wheels and really
needs them

On Apr 7, 1:55*pm, RobertH wrote:

*The only potential advantage over in-line two wheelers is that,
supposedly, it won't fall over. ...

Ever try one? Bicycles and crowds of people don't mix well at all
because of the difficulty of starting and stopping and the need to
maintain some speed to balance. Segways stop and stand still easily,
like pedestrians. Could you push a grocery store shopping cart with a
standard bicycle? You can easily on a Segway, or spin around in place
to pull it.