Tai Chi Scooter Promises Fun and Falls

In a bold move for natural selection, a mechanical engineer at Purdue University has created a new take on the Segway. Removing pesky confusing handlebars, the new "Tai Chi Scooter" has an optical encoder that monitors the angular displacement of the electric motor, requiring you to manipulate your center of balance to drive the scooter. Unfortunately you will not be able to purchase this and begin breaking your own limbs anytime soon as the creator says he has no plans to market the scooter. Someone buy the rights to this and mass produce it quickly so we can thin the herd.

Re:

[somersault]

With nothing to wrap your hands around, riding the scooter requires focusing your mind and maintaining awareness of your center of balance -- two fundamental elements of tai chi.

Or, you know, learning to walk or perform any other task where you move around while not holding onto anything.. Tai Chi my ass..

Re:

[dunkelfalke]

depends on a school. some schools teach taijiquan as some kind of dance to meditative music.
some schools teach it as a kung fu style it is (and it hurts).

i mean, some people think baguazhang is only about walking in circles where in fact it has got quite a lot of common with aikido.

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[Russ Nelson]

Bagua, hmph. Makes me dizzy, all that walking around in circles.

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[v1]

Can it do any sweet jumps?

Looks a little heavy to do a good Ollie [wikipedia.org]

Isn't price the issue.

[jellomizer]

I think the main issue with the segway wasn't the handle bar or its size. But the fact that it was 10k Too expensive for the average Joe for what you get from it. I think they should but engineering into making it cheaper Sub 1k and run well.

Re:

[CannonballHead]

I agree the price is ridiculous... but I would like to say: bikes work pretty well, too. :)

Re:Isn't price the issue.

[Anonymous Coward]

But if you lower the price, how can rich people roll by with smug "I'm too wealthy to walk" grins on their faces?

Re:

[incripshin]

You ever watch Arrested Development? Hilarious.

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[sakdoctor]

I think the main, insurmountable issue, is that you look like a cock riding one.

Now hoefully there won't be too many segway owners on /. modding me down.

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[v1]

10k Too expensive for the average Joe

But was that due to the cost of R&D, the materials and construction, or the inventors wanting too high of a profit margin?

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[gad_zuki!]

Theyre not 10k. I was looking at a used one for under 3k and a new one for 4k recently.

The problem is they are just a bad product with no real market for them outside of lazy meter maids.

Theyre not comfortable to ride. My feet were achy after a few hours on one because youre standing up the whole time. There's a reason why no one built a standing scooter before with conventional technology. Its just too slow for the street and way too fast for the sidewalk at full throttle. It has a hard time with anything

Re:

[Engine]

The security guards in the Westwood Mall (Durban, South Africa), uses them. I guess they are excellent for patrolling the mall and the parking lots.

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[tabrnaker]

Your discomfort has nothing to do with the product, just your inability to stand up for hours. Don't blame the product if you have a shitty body that you don't take care of.

All your other complaints are pretty valid :)

Cheap competition

[jbeaupre]

There is also lots of cheap competition using an older but well tested balancing method. For example: http://urbanscooters.com/ [urbanscooters.com]

Add leg-powered generator to it

[S3D]

And it may have some market. Range would increase and travel would make some exercise. Could be used by people who don't ride bicycle for some reason.

I visited Purdue once...

[Thelasko]

while I was walking down the street a guy came out of a building, hopped on a unicycle, [wikipedia.org] and rode away. I found the whole experience random and strange. I turns out there is a whole club for jugglers and unicyclists. [purdue.edu] This machine might be a real hit at one of their meetings.

Excellent for AIG Execs . . .

[PolygamousRanchKid]

. . . is it too late to put a rider on the AIG Exec bonus tax bill? Make the bastards ride to work on these things.

Or would that be "cruel and unusual punishment?"

Fuck'em, that's what they deserve.

Maintaining balance

[troll8901]

Yeah, but most people face the front instead of the side (TFA photo) when on the Segway.

Therefore, to maintain balance on the modified Segway (assuming you're not used to it), you'll need to adjust your center of gravity continuously, by shifting it forwards and backwards repeatedly.

Not a good prospect, doing it in a crowded place.

Meh.

[idontgno]

Joyboard on wheels. [wikipedia.org] Kinda hard to Guru Meditate [wikipedia.org] if you have to watch where you're going.

old

[rusl]

There's been stuff like this around for years. I think this is a fairly standard university robotics/programming group assignment. When I saw it years ago it was named as a variation on a skateboard using segway parts. Naming it Tai Chi isn't exactly innovative.

kind of like...

[speedtux]

So... it's kind of like a skateboard or snowboard?