Build Your Own Segway
from the ultimate-DIYer dept
Turns out that maybe the Segway isn't so innovative after all. A builder of humanoid robots in Silicon Valley got interested in the concepts behind the Segway and went out and built one himself. It's not quite the same, and doesn't have most of the safety features the real Segway has - but it cost him less than half the cost of a Segway, and he built the damn thing himself... from scratch. He says that all of the technology he used was available 20 years ago - it just took Dean Kamen to realize that it could all be put together in a scooter people would want to ride. They guy's website has tons of pictures and comparisons between parts in his version compared to the real Segway. He also points out that, while it's probably true, he hates looking the part of the "Silicon Valley Nerd". He also says that everyone stopping him to chat slows the commute down considerably.
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"He says that all of the technology he used was available 20 years ago - it just took Dean Kamen to realize that it could all be put together in a scooter people would want to ride." The same thing can be said for several innovations of yesteryear...
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Don't forget...
This guy is an engineer who designs and builds humanoid robots that are capable of standing and walking on their own, not just some guy who tinkers in his garage.
It's still pretty cool, kind of makes me wish I was smart enough to build one myself.
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I agree with Dave, this is true with a lot of inventions. Then there are the inventions put in place by accidental discoveries. Everything from penicillin to microwave ovens. There was a really good article recently on this in Smithsonian Magazine
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues03/sep03/eureka.html
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