On Wed, Jan 01, 2003 at 10:38:46AM -0800, Doug Pensinger wrote: > this time of year. It is a good idea for those who don't have a problem > with riding a bike. But those who feel that they must appear prim and > proper, or feel that they must wear silly shoes the Segway (or its > cheaper, lighter, more practical future iterations, I hope) is a > possible alternative.
My feeling is that the best future use of this technology will be for robots. For upright, vaguely-human shaped robots, there is already technology for making bipedal robots (http://world.honda.com/robot/). If the robot needs to be able to climb stairs or step into a vehicle, then the bipedal robot is obviously required. But the bipedal robot is heavy, expensive, and slow. For applications that don't require stepping up/down things, a Segway-like robot would be ideal (roaming a single-floor home, mowing the lawn, walking the dog?). Or for a higher level of complexity, combine the Segway technology with the bipedal robot. Then it can speed along on level ground on wheels, but when it gets to the stairs it can step onto them as needed. -- "Erik Reuter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.erikreuter.net/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
