backtop

Print E-mail del.icio.us 83 comment(s) - last by MrPractical.. on Aug 5 at 12:25 AM

Toyota Winglet S

Toyota Winglet S, M, and L
Toyota Motor Corporation admits Winglet robots are still being refined

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced today that it is developing what it called a personal transport assistance robot. The device is called the Winglet and TMC has three different models currently being developed.

The Winglet is similar to the Segway i2 in the function it looks to fill for people who want an alternative mode of transportation to a car, bike, or walking. The main difference between the Segway and the Winglet line is that the Winglet is much smaller.

TMC says that the Winglet has a body that is roughly the size of a sheet of A3 paper. Inside the body are the motor, two wheels, and the internal sensors needed to monitor the user's position and make adjustments in power to provide stability.

Winglet uses a unique parallel link mechanism, according to TMC, that allows the rider to go forward, backwards and turn by shifting body weight. All three models have a zero turning radius making them useful in crowds and tight spaces.

TMC has created three Winglet models designated by letters including the L, M, and S. The three models each have different handling characteristics, but share many of the same features. All of the models have the same length and with measurements of 265 mm and 464 mm respectively. All three models also share the same 6 km/h maximum cruising speed and all three can be fully charged in only 1 hour.

The Winglet S is 462 mm high, weighs 9.9 kg, and has a cruising range of 5 km. The Winglet M is 680 mm high, weighs 12.3 kg, and has a maximum cruising range of 10 km. The Winglet L is 1,130 mm high, weighs 12.3 kg, and has a 10km cruise range. TMC says the handling of the three models ranges from practical to "hands-free sporty."

TMC says that a variety of technical and consumer trials of the Winglet robots will be held including tests of its use as a mobility tool starting in the fall of 2008. Trials for the Winglet models will be held at Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) and at Laguna Gamagori -- a seaside resort complex. TMC says that trials of the Winglet models in crowded areas to test the mobility of the device and to see how non-users react to it will be held at the Tressa Yokohama shopping complex in 2009.

One of the biggest differences between the Winglet and the Segway transporter is the speed. The Winglet will top out at only 3.7 MPH -- barely walking speed. The Segway on the other hand can travel 12.5 MPH. TMC has no comment on pricing or retail availability of the Winglet models.

The range of the Winglet is also significantly less than the Segway. The two larger Winglet models can only travel  a bit over 6 miles on a full charge while the smallest of the Winglets runs out of power in a mere 3 miles. The Segway can travel as far as 24 miles depending on the model.


Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
By BurnItDwn on 8/1/2008 2:55:05 PM , Rating: 5
I can walk faster than that, what purpose does this serve? It doesn't get me anywhere faster than all the alternate modes of transportation?

Now if these things could go 30+ MPH and last at least 20 miles, then it might be useful, but otherwise It's just a silly novelty toy.




By stlrenegade on 8/1/2008 2:58:28 PM , Rating: 5
Looks like we're getting closer and closer to how humans move around in "WALL-E"


By phaxmohdem on 8/1/2008 5:09:14 PM , Rating: 3
Yay!

Now if someone will just release those drinkable cupcakes...


By bodar on 8/1/2008 11:48:04 PM , Rating: 2
Bah. Put some cupcakes in a blender with some chocolate milk and call it a day.

/waiting for Wall-e to hit the local $1 theater.


By FITCamaro on 8/2/2008 11:40:25 AM , Rating: 2
Yeah its sad that people are developing crap like this at all?

Advertisement:
"Are you a piece of crap who's too lazy to walk around the local mall for an hour? Buy our Winglet and never have to exert yourself in the slightest ever again."

Even Segways are pointless since you can easily bike faster than one.


By masher2 (blog) on 8/1/2008 3:22:46 PM , Rating: 5
> "Now if these things could go 30+ MPH "

30 mph would certainly be a safety hazard...can you imagine that on a city sidewalk? Still, I agree with your underlying point that this sub-4mph speed is too slow to be useful. 8-10 mph would be about ideal in my opinion.


By BurnItDwn on 8/1/2008 3:34:45 PM , Rating: 2
Never said it was safe, but it's gotta be faster than human powered transportation to be useful IMO. A fat man on a bike can do more than 8-10 mph.

I'm sure people will still buy them .... but I just don't see it as useful. Maybe it'll be a big hit and battery technology will improve as a result of it ...


By masher2 (blog) on 8/1/2008 4:14:29 PM , Rating: 3
> "Never said it was safe, but it's gotta be faster than human powered transportation to be useful IMO"

It's not just the speed, it's the exertion savings. Most people can run 20mph, but you don't see them doing more than a 4mph stroll normally. If they can do double that without breaking a sweat, the device would sell.


By mdogs444 on 8/1/2008 4:50:49 PM , Rating: 4
quote:
don't think anyone's broken the 3 minute mile yet, man

You know, theres a reason you don't see too many 100M sprinters participating in the 1600M races.

Distance running is not the same as sprinting in short bursts.

Its not far fetched to say you can run 20MPH, but to say you can for 1 mile is totally different.


By Ratinator on 8/1/2008 5:31:28 PM , Rating: 2
Not sure where you get your info from, but to do 20MPH you have to run an 11.16 100M. The world record back in 1912 was 10.6 seconds...long before 1964.

Not only that, 11.16 100M is averaging 20MPH. These sprinters are starting from a stop meaning that at there top speed you would be over 20MPH.

So lets look at a longer distance such as the 200M. Michael Johnson has the current record at 19.32 whichis an average of 23.1MPH.

You could even look at the 400M where Michael Johnson again averaged 20.6 MPH.

There are numerous instances of people running over 20MPH and well before 1964 as well.


By JustTom on 8/1/2008 8:26:33 PM , Rating: 4
Still, most people probably can't run anywhere close to 20 MPH which is how this discussion started. 20 MPH is damn fast, even in a sprint.


By Ratinator on 8/1/2008 5:20:30 PM , Rating: 3
The current 100M world record holder averaged almost 23mph for 9.72 seconds. It is not impossible.


By borismkv on 8/1/2008 5:29:49 PM , Rating: 3
And exactly how much better shape was that person in than "Most people"?

"Most people" (I quote both of the people here) cannot even come close to 20mph.


By masher2 (blog) on 8/1/2008 6:03:15 PM , Rating: 4
To be precise, I should have said, most people who are not morbidly obese, hypopituitaric, or otherwise afflicted with a speed-restraining condition, can briefly sprint at a speed between 15-20mph.


By HsiKai on 8/1/2008 6:18:05 PM , Rating: 3
Seriously, you guys need to do some basic math before you post.

To run one mile (5,280 ft) in 4 minutes you must run at a rate of 15 mph. (Because 4 goes into 60 minutes fifteen times, multiply 1 mile by fifteen.) I would so so far as to say that the average person cannot maintain this speed, however, to sprint at this speed, or from 12-15mph, seems reasonable for the casual athlete.

People who can sustain greater than 15mph are professional athletes or Olympians.

From Wiki:
quote:
The highest human footspeed ever recorded is 48 km/h (29.8 mph), seen during a 100 meter sprint by Asafa Powell. (His average speed over that distance was 36.96 km/h (22.95 mph) owing to the need for acceleration.) Maximum human sprint speed is strikingly slower than that of many other animals, due to a low density of the energy-producing organelles known as mitochrondria. Compared to other land animals, humans are exceptionally capable of endurance, but exceptionally incapable of great speed. For example, cheetahs can attain short bursts of speed well over 100 km/h (62 mph), the American quarter horse has topped 88 km/h (55 mph), greyhounds can reach 72 km/h (45 mph), and the Mongolian Wild Ass has been measured at 64 km/h (40 mph). Even the domestic cat may reach 48 km/h (30 mph).

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footspeed


By masher2 (blog) on 8/1/2008 6:54:10 PM , Rating: 4
> "People who can sustain greater than 15mph are professional athletes or Olympians"

Nowhere did I use the word "sustain". Even I can break 15mph for brief periods, and I'm hardly a trained athlete.


By HsiKai on 8/1/2008 7:42:45 PM , Rating: 2
No, I'm saying that you probably can't sprint at 15mph for 100+ meters. Track and field is in the range of 12-15mph for young people (high school and college age). What I was pointing out with "sustain" was that normal people cannot sprint that fast for any real distance. Sprinting is your fastest speed possible so saying that you can sprint at 15mph but not necessarily sustain it implies there is an endurance problem. If you're in decent shape you should be able to sustain your sprint for 100+ meters.

Maybe we should just take a poll of athletes, their sport, and their respective speeds.

Unless by "I can break 15mph for brief periods" you meant by relativistic speeds, but I don't feel like traveling at light speed just to see you run further in circles.


By masher2 (blog) on 8/1/2008 9:02:27 PM , Rating: 3
> "Track and field is in the range of 12-15mph for young people (high school and college age). "

Eh? My local high school record is 11.3s for the 100m (the national record is over a full second faster). That works out to an average speed of 19.7 mph...which means the top speed of the runner is in the 25 mph range. That's a teenager. My own (mildly aged) bones can break 15 mph without too much effort...my treadmill has shown as high as 17-18 on occasion.

I'm not sure how you managed to include "relativistic speeds" into the equation, but I think 15-20mph is a reasonable number for the top speed of most people who aren't elderly and in reasonably good health. They may not be able to maintain that for 100 meters, but that's beside the point.


By bodar on 8/1/2008 11:54:58 PM , Rating: 5
This has to be the most hilarious subject argued in a DT article -- footspeed of the average person over various distances.


By SiliconAddict on 8/3/2008 3:02:45 PM , Rating: 1
More like retarded.


By doodad on 8/2/2008 7:12:54 PM , Rating: 2
Mongolian Wild Ass has been measured at 40 mph?

You win the debate my friend....


By Iger on 8/4/2008 2:55:06 AM , Rating: 2
Mmmm... Mongolian Wild Ass at 64km/h... Now that's an imagination test </silly>


By littlebitstrouds on 8/1/2008 5:11:47 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
Most people can run 20mph, but you don't see them doing more than a 4mph stroll normally.


Which is why this is a dumb argument, by saying most people can run 20mph, while comparing it to a transportation device, you're making a valid point, with a major fallacy. Unless of course you mean to say people won't be using these for more than 100 meters, as a comparison to your running fast analogy?

While yes it's a great idea, I see barely any true innovation over the IT showed us years ago. Innovation which is required to for an actual demand for the product. Whether it's speed or something else, there needs to be something else.


By masher2 (blog) on 8/1/2008 5:59:19 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Which is why this is a dumb argument, by saying most people can run 20mph, while comparing it to a transportation device, you're making a valid point, with a major fallacy.
Perhaps it's your superfluity of commas, but try as I might, I can't decode this statement.


By acejj26 on 8/1/2008 6:32:38 PM , Rating: 5
Mike is probably the most knowledgeable poster on this site. His ability to track down articles and substantiate the points he is trying to make is second to none. Just because you don't agree with the research he provides doesn't mean he makes bad arguments.


By littlebitstrouds on 8/2/2008 6:14:44 PM , Rating: 2
Being knowledgeable and being a good at arguing are two different things... I agree with most of the things Mike says, what I don't agree with are the ways he uses fallacy arguments. Fallacious argument styles like misunderstanding the nature of statistics, prestigious jargon, ambiguous assertions, disproof by fallacy, and worst of all reductio ad absurdum.


By masher2 (blog) on 8/2/2008 8:25:10 PM , Rating: 4
> "...like misunderstanding the nature of statistics, prestigious jargon, ambiguous assertions, disproof by fallacy, and worst of all reductio ad absurdum. "

Oops -- reductio ad absurdum isn't a logical fallacy; it is, in fact one of the most rigorous form of mathematical proof....which probably explains your distaste for it.


By littlebitstrouds on 8/3/2008 12:27:49 AM , Rating: 1
Your reductio ad absurdum arguments are strong eh? Hmmm seems to be most wouldn't agree...

quote:
Such arguments also risk degenerating into strawman arguments, an informal fallacy caused when an argument or theory is twisted by the opposing side to appear ridiculous. A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "set up a straw man" or "set up a straw man argument" is to describe a position that superficially resembles an opponent's actual view but is easier to refute, then attribute that position to the opponent (for example, deliberately overstating the opponent's position). A straw man argument can be a successful rhetorical technique (that is, it may succeed in persuading people) but it carries little or no real evidential weight, because the opponent's actual argument has not been refuted.


But I'm glad you think it's a strong argument style, you fall into the trap of using it so many times. And I believe that's why your sections are called blogs.


By masher2 (blog) on 8/3/2008 1:10:30 AM , Rating: 2
> Such arguments also risk degenerating into strawman arguments..."

Tsk, tsk...your "quote" was contructed half from the Wikipedia entry on reductio ad absurbum, and another half from the 'Straw Man' entry. How intellectually dishonest.

Let's quote a bit more from the reductio entry, shall we?
quote:
There is a fairly common misconception that reductio ad absurdum simply denotes "a silly argument" and is itself a formal fallacy. However, this is not correct; a properly constructed reductio constitutes a correct argument

In short, you couldn't possibly be more wrong. There is nothing unsound about such an argument; it is in fact widely used by some of the most esteemed mathematicians and logicians in all history.


By littlebitstrouds on 8/3/2008 1:20:04 AM , Rating: 2
And I'm fully correct in saying I'm referring to the way you use it, when it most certainly is used improperly. When did I ever say every reductio is incorrect? I merely used it properly to describe your arguments... aka they are often informal fallacies. You've done it in almost every post above.

And how am I intellectually dishonest? Seems I put it in quotes, thus assuming it wasn't my statement. Sorry I didn't cite specifics, forgive me.

And funny how you still continue to debase (not disprove) arguments, instead of disproving why your own arguments are so often incredibly fallacious.


By porkpie on 8/3/2008 1:39:07 AM , Rating: 4
quote:
When did I ever say every reductio is incorrect?
Lol, talk about a waffle job. Do we really need to quote your posts back to you?

Stroud you got schooled. The sooner you drop it and move on, the less you'll embarrass yourself.


By littlebitstrouds on 8/3/2008 12:06:14 PM , Rating: 1
Porkie you were never in the race, sorry masher fanboys with nothing to add to an intelligent debate but a hell yah to masher posts both annoy me, and aid to prove my point that his argument style caters to the least common denominator... aka you.


By littlebitstrouds on 8/3/2008 1:31:00 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
There is nothing unsound about such an argument; it is in fact widely used by some of the most esteemed mathematicians and logicians in all history.


Thanks for the repetition, and you even use the fallacy of authority. All in all it's hilarious because your using it to prove the wrong point, I never said it was a bad argument style, just that the way you use it... it's a common mistake, don't get all worked up.

What you need to understand is that I can agree with you on the damn point, I'm just sick of your crappy way of presenting the argument. It's embarrassing to us logic minded people to see our argument presented in an unsound manner when it's not necessary.


By masher2 (blog) on 8/3/2008 3:11:07 PM , Rating: 2
> "I never said it was a bad argument style"

If you were speaking English, you did.

Now, if your words represented tokens in some self-invented private language, however, your statement may be correct.

> "It's embarrassing to us logic minded people to see our argument presented in an unsound manner "

Perhaps a "logic-minded person" could explain what's unsound about the argument that a transportation device slower than a human's top speed is still useful, due to the saving in exertion it represents.


By Seemonkeyscanfly on 8/1/2008 5:26:21 PM , Rating: 3
They always give credit to the 100 meter champ as the fastest man on Earth...however, I think it should go to the 200 meter winner. The Second 100 meter is normally faster then the world record for the 100 meter (because the racers are already moving). Of course it's common for the champ of one to be the champ of the other.

Doing some quick and not super accurate math...if the world record for 100 meters is 9.77 sec. and 200 meters 19.32 (which is faster then the 100 meter) then 1 mile = 1609.344 meters, or about one mile in 2.591 minutes which would be around 23.15708 miles per hour. Does that sound about right?


By HsiKai on 8/1/2008 5:44:05 PM , Rating: 2
That sounds right, but going from 0-23mph or going 23-mph over the second 100 meters should be the same minus the time it takes the person to accelerate to that speed. That should be the only reason there is less than a 1:1 difference between the first and second 100 meters. Ultimately they are going to be the same race.

So yes, that sounds right but as you pointed out yourself, people are already moving during that second 100 meters, that doesn't mean they're going faster, it just means they are no longer accelerating.


By docmilo on 8/2/2008 9:17:43 AM , Rating: 2
Oh yeah. Now all we need is a pill to simulate exercise and we're all set. Maybe someone should just invent one of the Matrix style plugs, create a machine world and things will get really easy for us. No more effort ever.


By Tamale on 8/1/2008 3:37:38 PM , Rating: 2
people regularly use rollerblades and skateboards to go a lot faster than that on sidewalks.. at least they do in chicago quite a bit.


By jabber on 8/2/2008 6:17:11 AM , Rating: 2
I would say the slow speed is on purpose. In some countries segways are illeagal to use on pavements due to the speed etc.

It these are limited to a walking pace then there could be a better chance of them being approved.

Its a start for initial acceptance and then see where they go from there.

To be honest though just walk dammit! I remember when my US girlfriend came to visit me for two weeks in the UK, we walked a lot more (as you do in the UK) than she was used to and lost 12lbs in weight!


By Crassus on 8/2/2008 6:05:23 PM , Rating: 2
You're sure this was due to *walking*?


By jabber on 8/3/2008 7:03:07 AM , Rating: 2
Well I wasnt going to say anything...but partly.


By bldckstark on 8/4/2008 3:42:39 PM , Rating: 2
Was the other part due to the food?


By OxBow on 8/1/2008 3:36:18 PM , Rating: 1
I figured that the Segway succeeded in identifying all the uber-nerds with to much disposable income. Now there's competition for that market? Just what we need.

How about inventing things that we need instead of more conspicous consumption crap.


By HsiKai on 8/1/2008 5:26:59 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I figured that the Segway succeeded in identifying all the uber-nerds with to much disposable income.


In D.C. and probably in several other cities there are not only Police who ride Segways as a means of commuting both on and off the road, but there are also tour groups that use Segways to traverse the National Mall and surrounding outdoor attractions.

Just because you don't have a use for it doesn't mean that usefulness doesn't exist for others. This is probably geared more towards the huge number of people that walk to work every day in major cities. The sea of people that walk down those sidewalks would use less space on one of these, while maintaining a satisfactory "walking speed."

Also, the average walking speed for people is four to five km/h. I can see healthy people doing five plus, but not everyone on the sidewalk in a major city/metropolitan area is going able to maintain the same gait/walking speed. This device will make that uniform and in doing so speed up the average time to get to work in medium to long distances.


By FITCamaro on 8/2/2008 11:44:32 AM , Rating: 2
How about they walk or ride bikes. I mean I know that requires using those things called legs and muscles but I'm just saying.


By James Wood Carter on 8/2/2008 5:49:05 PM , Rating: 2
I don't think its used as a speeding toy, postman could use them to deliver posts or paper rounds.
Or it can simply be a gadget for people to waste money on.


Lazy
By Retrospect on 8/1/2008 3:30:24 PM , Rating: 3
I can't think of any reason to buy one of those thing.
Isn't we fat enough?




RE: Lazy
By nvalhalla on 8/1/2008 3:36:45 PM , Rating: 5
Yes. Our grammar isn't all that great either...


RE: Lazy
By SigmundEXactos on 8/1/2008 3:51:10 PM , Rating: 5
No no no....his grammar was fine.
He just forgot to add "Isn't we fat enough my preciousss.... ".


RE: Lazy
By 9nails on 8/3/2008 1:11:39 AM , Rating: 4
I LOL'ed!


RE: Lazy
By Icelight on 8/1/2008 4:20:30 PM , Rating: 2
It's sad that there's a market for these things when they just go walking speed...are you really so lazy that you won't even walk?

Even faster devices like a Segway I see no point in. Sure, they're smaller than a bike, but I'd much rather get the physical effects (however small) that a bike provides...


should have been a lawyer.
By bobcpg on 8/1/2008 2:55:33 PM , Rating: 2
Wonder how many Lawyers are lining up at Segway now just to be included on the lawsuit.




RE: should have been a lawyer.
By Hakuryu on 8/1/2008 3:07:49 PM , Rating: 2
I dont think Segway has a patent on a 'device that moves your around'. Now if they could show that their tech was used to create the Toyota ones, that would be different, but just because they are similar doesn't mean Segway has any options.

Just because Ford made the first car, doesn't mean they can sue anyone else that made one.


RE: should have been a lawyer.
By Hyggelik on 8/1/2008 3:30:16 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Just because Ford made the first car, doesn't mean they can sue anyone else that made one


FYI: Karl Benz is considered the inventor of the car, to my knowledge Ford added assembly line manufacturing to the picture.


RE: should have been a lawyer.
By JonnyDough on 8/2/2008 5:52:11 AM , Rating: 2
One might also be interested to know the histories of Chrysler, Buick, and Chevrolet.

I do know that Louis Chevrolet had his business virtually stolen and he died a penniless man.

A short drive to a local historic car museum is a fantastic weekend trip. Try it.


RE: should have been a lawyer.
By Solandri on 8/1/2008 7:36:08 PM , Rating: 2
Never underestimate the stupidity of the U.S. Patent system.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selden_patent


I'd rather have...
By encryptkeeper on 8/1/2008 3:22:55 PM , Rating: 3
...two personal robots, crudely designed like a penguin and reindeer that help me riff on bad movies.




RE: I'd rather have...
By nvalhalla on 8/1/2008 3:35:10 PM , Rating: 2
ROBOT ROLE-CALL!


RE: I'd rather have...
By bodar on 8/2/2008 12:32:47 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Hey, Mike, you think you can toss me my calculations? Thanks! Ah, here it is. "Breach Hull - All Die." Even had it underlined.


<3 mst3k


Speak 'Merican, wouldja?
By peldor on 8/1/2008 4:13:46 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
TMC says that the Winglet has a body that is roughly the size of a sheet of A3 paper.

Despite the clear superiority of ISO 216 as yet another system of 'measurement' we should adopt, that'd be roughly 2 sheets of "Letter" size paper. :)




RE: Speak 'Merican, wouldja?
By CrystalBay on 8/1/2008 8:28:17 PM , Rating: 2
I can get 60 miles commuting on my Lith/polymer batteries, and arrive fresh even in 100 plus degrees


RE: Speak 'Merican, wouldja?
By CrystalBay on 8/1/2008 8:31:20 PM , Rating: 2
Giant e twist for now, great pedelac


...
By poundsmack on 8/1/2008 3:16:53 PM , Rating: 2
and here i am using my legs like a sucker.

but seriously, at least in the US there is a rather previlant problem with people being far to overweight. Now I am all for mobility enhancing tools like motorized chairs for the elderly or people with a handycap that otherwise would unable to comfortably get around and would affect they way they live. But devices like these only further perpetuate the problem of people being to lazy.

as cool of a toy as this is I hope they do not gain wide spread addoption. plus, and i bet anything on this, in 10 to 15 years when peoples knees hurt from standing all the time on these and leaning forward ot go forward, there will be some sort of "new finding" that these are causing injury due continuous presure on the knee cap in a forward motion against the bend.

and then people will start going, "you knwo what would be better then standing and having htis motorized thing push me around, sitting nad having some motorized thing push me around!" which will inevitibly lead to, "and why go outside at all, i have everythig i need from the internet."

and finaly, "why use up all that energy getting out of bed, i can just have images and feeling beamed into my bed with me new iLive" (yes i am assuming 20 years from now apple will have created a device that transfers the users thoughts into cyber space creating a giant MMO).

and congratulations, this series of events has led to the actualy happening of The Matrix.

I hope everyone that enchourages development of these things enjoys living in a tube filled with life sustaining goo.

(gets up and goes for a nice hike, in the real world).




RE: ...
By poundsmack on 8/1/2008 3:22:43 PM , Rating: 2
(fixed typo's)

And here I am using my legs like a sucker.

But seriously, at least in the US there is a rather prevalent problem with people being far to overweight. Now I am all for mobility enhancing tools like motorized chairs for the elderly or people with a handicap that otherwise would unable to comfortably get around and would affect they way they live. But devices like these only further perpetuate the problem of people being to lazy.

As cool of a toy as this is I hope they do not gain wide spread adoption. plus, and I bet anything on this, in 10 to 15 years when peoples knees hurt from standing all the time on these and leaning forward to go forward, there will be some sort of "new finding" that these are causing injury due continuous pressure on the knee cap in a forward motion against the bend.

and then people will start going, "you know what would be better then standing and having this motorized thing push me around, sitting and having some motorized thing push me around!" which will inevitably lead to, "and why go outside at all, I have everything I need from the internet."

and finally, "why use up all that energy getting out of bed, I can just have images and feeling beamed into my bed with me new iLive" (yes I am assuming 20 years from now apple will have created a device that transfers the users thoughts into cyber space creating a giant MMO).

And congratulations, this series of events has led to the actually happening of The Matrix.

I hope everyone that encourages development of these things enjoys living in a tube filled with life sustaining goo.

(Gets up and goes for a nice hike, in the real world).


RE: ...
By HsiKai on 8/1/08, Rating: 0
How to be lazy
By 325hhee on 8/1/2008 3:48:26 PM , Rating: 3
Step one, buy a segway or the TMC device. Step two, when the exercise pills comes out, you can be couch bound for the rest of your life.

It's scary to think of this with this going hand and hand

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB12175111579...

People are lazy enough as is.




man!
By Desired Username on 8/2/2008 10:31:28 PM , Rating: 1
What a bunch of a-holes you people are.




RE: man!
By porkpie on 8/2/2008 10:45:00 PM , Rating: 2
Glad you got that off your chest. But now, its time to put your rubber suit back on and return to your cell.


its too slow
By Silver2k7 on 8/2/2008 8:00:15 AM , Rating: 2
6 Km/h if it was atleast 30Km/h it would be as fast as a bicycle... why would anyone want something this slow..

perhaps old people whos bad at walking..

btw how fast is a Segway ?




How much does the Segway weigh?
By wordsworm on 8/2/2008 9:11:43 AM , Rating: 2
I think most folks are missing the part about how those devices would quite easily fit in the back of a small car. 12.5kg, even for a relatively weak person, isn't terribly difficult to lift from the trunk to the ground. Googling revealed that the Segway weighs in at a hefty 45kg. While I would certainly have no problem lowering that from a trunk to the curb, someone who is inclined to use it might not be able to handle it. Heck, it's enough to put my back out if I lift it in a bad way. But then again, I'm quite content to use my own two feet to get around.




amazing
By jnath8 on 8/2/2008 2:17:41 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
amazing how far technology has progressed. i am super-impressed. i will purchase these babies for every member of my family, and even for my dog and the fish in the tank.




By thepill01 on 8/2/2008 8:16:04 PM , Rating: 2
I used to run 10k's and my best time was is the 7 mph range...not too shabby! 20 mph for an hour??? Please.
Anyway, with current gas prices, especially in SoCal this new tool of modern sociey is just the start of the progressive thinking we need for getting around in any city. My school is about 10 miles away and I would definitely use something like this if its reasonably priced. How useful would it be where the rainfall is heavy?
This is great!




transporters
By Ron974 on 8/2/2008 9:25:51 PM , Rating: 2
That is already outdone by an electric skateboard scooter that hits 12 to 15 MPH and will go about 6 miles. And the cost under about $150. Wand to go faster or further get the gas powered skateboard scooters. Some will hit 30MPH and go about 20 miles. Want to go further a bigger tank would be easy. The gas ones run about $200.

Seeing Toyota is making this and the comparison to the Segway, bet it will cost over $1000 to go 3 miles at 3.3 MPH. Bet this will be a drain on Toyota's profits and they cut it loose within months.




Help my math
By SnakeBlitzken on 8/4/2008 1:57:26 PM , Rating: 2
So, if a Mongolian Ass left St Louis traveling 64 kph and someone left Chicago traveling at 8 kph on one of these gizmos, which one would catch the runner trying to maintain 20 mph?

Realistically, they probably are limited on speed for safety reasons. Balance would get trickier at higher speeds.




Toyota and Segways
By MrPractical on 8/5/2008 12:25:29 AM , Rating: 2
Yes, by all means we shouldn't be using our resources on these toys that someone might use simply for entertainment. It's like devoting millions in high technology to bike frames so someone can have one an ounce lighter than last years model.
We need to get back to basics like agriculture, water quality, and shelter.
How much of our energies are going toward things we definitely don't have to have like entertainment, art, culture. The average person doesn't have to have a computer any more than they need a car. If we just went back to the farm and candles we'd be better off.




OMG
By Desired Username on 8/2/08, Rating: -1
RE: OMG
By SiliconAddict on 8/3/08, Rating: 0
"Young lady, in this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!" -- Homer Simpson











botimage
Copyright 2009 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki