Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 23927
Berkeley CSUA MOTD
 
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2025/04/04 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
4/4     

2002/2/20-21 [Transportation/Misc] UID:23927 Activity:high
2/20    http://www.amazon.com/segway (only $60k!)
        \_ can't be a real bid.  $60k for a skateboard with a handle?
2025/04/04 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
4/4     

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2010/9/27-30 [Transportation/Misc] UID:53968 Activity:nil
9/27    Owner of Segway company killed after falling off river cliff on a
        Segway.
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/ap_on_hi_te/eu_britain_segway_death
	...
2007/6/15-19 [Transportation/Misc] UID:46960 Activity:nil
6/15    Probably old but still pretty cool:  Bombardier Embrio
        http://motorcyclecity.com/Concept/EMBRIO  -John
        \_ keywords: motorcycle unicycle segway
	...
2005/3/18 [Transportation/Misc] UID:36756 Activity:very high
3/18    The next revolutionary commuting device that's better than Segway:
        http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000680030800  (ok not really)
        \_ It's better than motorcycles because ...?
        \_ Wasn't that in a South Park episode?
           \_ EXACTLY, that's why it's funny! Obviously, the guy who asked the
              motorcycle question didn't see the Mr. Garrison "IT" episode
	...
2004/11/8 [Transportation/Misc] UID:34754 Activity:kinda low
11/7    I just got a Segway!!! How do I join the Segway Polo club?
        \_ Have fun falling.
        \_ why the heck is it 80 pounds? Is it the battery?
           \_ Any lighter wouldn't be enough to make others scream when you run
              over their feet.
	...
2004/10/6 [Transportation/Misc] UID:33954 Activity:high
10/4    Segway specs vs regular scooter spec, round 1:
        http://science.howstuffworks.com/ginger4.htm
        http://store.yahoo.com/yhst-14938104255359/x360.html
        Summary, Segway tops at 12.5mph, 80 lbs, 17 mile range, $3000.
        Regular scooter tops at 21mph, 59 lbs, 20 mile range, $149.
        Sure Segway looks cooler, but is looks really worth it?
	...
2004/9/28-29 [Transportation/Misc, Transportation/Motorcycle] UID:33812 Activity:moderate
9/28    Dear motd, I got semi seriously injured last week and now I'm
        on crutches. It's a pain to walk to the campus because I live
        1.7 miles away. I've been thinking that maybe
        this is a good time to buy one of those Sharper Image mini
        scooter thing. I need something that has ~5 mile range and
        can handle steep Berkeley hills. Gas scooters are noisy
	...
2004/7/31-8/1 [Transportation/Misc] UID:32609 Activity:very high
7/31    Sport of Kings:
        http://www.bayareaseg.com/video/SegwayPoloWeb.mov
        \_ ha! so you can fall off a segway!  fuck segway.  I'm sticking with
           my unicycle.  that's how a real man plays polo.
        \_ Cue people with too much money on their hands!
        \_ well at least someone found a use for them.
	...
2003/9/26-28 [Transportation/Misc] UID:10342 Activity:nil
9/26    Segway Recalled: link:tinyurl.com/otng (reuters.com)
        \_ Another bubble bursted.
        \_ IT!  GINGER!  IPO!  3) profit
	...
2003/4/12-13 [Transportation/Car] UID:28097 Activity:moderate
4/11    Progressive Insurance offers insurance for Segway. Check it out, heh.
        \_ hah! as an engineer, i want to buy dumbass insurance.  if
           i ever come up with an idea that fucking dumb, i'll be
           compensated by the insurance company for wasting my time.
           \_ I'm sure you'd become a rich man.
              \_ No he wouldn't. Think of the premiums he'll get charged...
	...
2002/4/25 [Computer/SW/OS/Linux, Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:24573 Activity:high
4/24    Segway's first customer is Atlanta:
        http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/04/24/segway.testing/index.html
        \_ Charge it for 6 hours, and only 15 miles per charge? _NOW_ I'm
           convinced nothing too major will come of it. Multi-billion-dollar
           niche my ass.
           \_ D00D U R 50 WR0NG! S3GW4Y 15 50 '1337! 17 R0X! S3GW4Y H45 1075
	...
Cache (8192 bytes)
www.amazon.com/segway -> www.amazon.com:80/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007EPJ6
Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours Bonus: Now with free, in-home orientation. Its wide footprint provides superior stability and varied terrain capability, while its powerful motors and batteries offer extended range and enhanced speed. It cannot be shipped to APO/FPO addresses or to Puerto Rico. ASIN: B00007EPJ6 Shipping charge: This item is not eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping. This small cube, 3 inches on a side, is packed with five solid-state, vibrating-ring, angular-rate sensors ("gyroscopes") that use the Coriolis effect to measure rotation speed. These tiny rings are electromechanically vibrated in such a way that when they are rotated, a small force is generated that can be detected in the internal electronics of the sensor. Each "gyro" is placed at a unique angle that allows it to measure multiple directions. Segway's onboard computers constantly compare the data from all five gyros to determine if any of the five is supplying faulty data--in this condition, it can compensate and use data from the remaining sensors to continue balancing through a controlled safety shutdown. Two tilt sensors filled with an electrolyte fluid provide a gravity reference in the same way your inner ear does for your own sense of balance. The BSA is monitored by two independent microprocessors and is split into two independent halves for redundancy. Even the communication between sides is performed optically to avoid electrical faults on one side propagating to the other. Produced by Pacific Scientific, a division of Danaher, they are the highest-power motors for their size and weight ever put into mass production. The motors use brushless servo technology, meaning there are no contacts to wear, arc, and reduce performance. The magnets are constructed of an incredibly powerful rare-earth material: neodymium-iron-boron. Each motor is constructed with two independent sets of windings, each driven by a separate board and motor. Under normal conditions, both sets of windings work in parallel, sharing the load. In the event of a failure, the motor is designed to instantly disable the faulty side and use the remaining winding to maintain control of the Segway HT until it can be brought to a stop. The motor is carefully balanced to operate up to 8,000 rpm, allowing it to produce very high power levels in a small package. Feedback from the motor back to the Segway HT is provided by redundant, noncontact analog hall sensors that sense the positions of magnets with no moving parts other than the motor shaft itself. Sign up for Early Adopters e-mail now for sneak previews and early access to leading-edge products. A two-stage reduction system provides a 24:1 reduction, allowing the motor to operate at powerful, efficient speeds throughout the full range of speeds of the Segway HT. Each gear is cut to a helical profile, which creates a spiral engagement to minimize noise and increase the load capability of the gears. The number of teeth on each gear is chosen to produce noninteger gear ratios. This means that the teeth will mesh in a different location each revolution, maximizing the life of the gearbox. Our engineers were so obsessed with the details on the Segway HT that they designed the meshes in the gearbox to produce sound exactly two musical octaves apart--when the Segway HT moves, it makes music, not noise. The gearbox is pre-assembled and lubricated, and is designed to require no maintenance over the life of the Segway HT. It has been tested for thousands of miles under severe conditions. The tires on the Segway HT have been designed specifically for this product, using a unique tread compound (a silica-based compound instead of traditional carbon-based materials), giving enhanced traction and minimized marking on indoor floors, and a specially engineered tubeless construction that allows low pressure for comfort and traction while minimizing rolling resistance for long range. The tire is mounted on an equally unique wheel design: the wheel is constructed of a sophisticated engineering-grade thermoplastic chosen in partnership with GE Plastics. This composite material allows light weight and excellent durability, and actually reduces noise transmitted from the drive system. The wheel is molded around a forged steel hub, eliminating fasteners that can loosen over time. The attachment between this hub and the transmissions incorporates a unique (patent pending) taper and hex design, which allows a single nut to attach or remove the wheel while retaining the security of multiple-bolt systems more typically seen in conventional applications. Sign up for Early Adopters e-mail now for sneak previews and early access to leading-edge products. These nickel-metal hydride cells deliver the highest power of any currently available chemistry, optimized to maintain the Segway HT's balance under severe conditions. Each pack consists of an array of high-capacity cells and a custom-designed circuit board that constantly monitors the temperature and voltage of the pack in multiple locations. This assembly is enclosed in another unique application of GE thermoplastics--the battery box is sealed using a vibration welding technique that makes the outside of the pack a single, continuous structure--sealed from moisture and strong enough to survive the most extreme tests our durability engineers could throw at it. The internal electronics in the battery incorporate "smart" charging--the customer need only plug the Segway HT into the wall and the battery will choose the appropriate charge rate based on temperature, voltage, and level of charge. The batteries will quick charge, then automatically transition into a balance and maintenance charge mode. The Segway HT customer does not need to worry about memory or timing their charges--just plug it in. Under normal operation, the Segway HT carefully monitors both batteries and automatically adjusts to drain the batteries evenly. In the unlikely event of a battery failure, the system is designed to use the second battery to operate the machine and allow it to continue balancing until it is brought to a safe stop. Delphi Electronics was chosen as a partner based on their track record in the production of high-volume, high-quality automotive electronics for such demanding applications as airbag modules. Each board contains a Texas Instruments digital signal processor, monitoring the entire Segway HT system and checking 100 times per second for any faults or conditions that might require immediate response. It reads the information from the BSA to determine if the rider is leaning forward or backward, and instantly uses this information to deliver power from the batteries to the motors through a set of 12 high-power, high-voltage field-effect transistors (FETs). These calculations take place 100 times a second, and the motors are adjusted at up to 1,000 times per second, responding far more quickly than the human body is capable of perceiving. Although each board is capable of operating the Segway HT after a failure (each board, in fact, powers electrical circuits on both motors), under normal conditions they share the load. Sign up for Early Adopters e-mail now for sneak previews and early access to leading-edge products. We believe that when you are among the first to purchase and embrace new technology, you personify the spirit that allows inventions to become innovations, and that spirit can change the world. Hopefully, you will represent the Segway community with the same passion and vision we had in bringing the idea to reality. Thank you for your belief in new possibilities and your willingness to demonstrate it to the world. Thanks, Dean Kamen and the team at Segway Purchase, Safety, and Ownership Guidelines Thank you for your interest in the Segway Human Transporter (HT)! You're about to place an order for one of the most innovative transportation products the world has ever seen. But first, here's the lowdown on everything from the sale process to the particulars of how you're going to learn to safely ride the Segway HT. Sign up for Early Adopters e-mail now for sneak previews and early access to leading-...