SegwayChat
Home . Old Gallery

Go Back   SegwayChat > Segway Forums > Segway General Discussion

Notices

Segway General Discussion General discussion related to any model of Segways, miniPROs, or Ninebots. Please do not post non-Segway technology posts here; use the technology forum instead.

View Poll Results: What 3 features would you want the most on the Segway?
Another design - It's still fugly 5 25.00%
Longer range 7 35.00%
Faster / unlimited speed 5 25.00%
Fast charging batteries 9 45.00%
Battery hot-swap 3 15.00%
Cheaper model 8 40.00%
More storage areas 3 15.00%
USB-charging - open battery design 7 35.00%
GPS / App-control 0 0%
OTHER - Write a comment 7 35.00%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 20. You may not vote on this poll

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-10-2015, 10:02 PM   #81
Gihgehls
Senior Member
Gihgehls is just really niceGihgehls is just really niceGihgehls is just really niceGihgehls is just really niceGihgehls is just really nice
 
Gihgehls's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
Posts: 2,086
5 yr Member
Default

A common misconception is that open source means free of cost. It doesn't. There are many open source licenses, some of them granting more rights than others. Some licenses allow for not-for-profit applications while restricting for-profit scenarios.

There once was a company called Epic MegaGames. They made lots of great games. One of them was a shooting game called Unreal. Unreal used technology that was more advanced than anything else at the time. It was dubbed "Unreal Engine." Later, a company called Microprose licensed the Unreal Engine to make an other shooting game called Klingon Honor Guard. By using the already-developed Unreal Engine, Microprose could focus on design and marketing instead of spending precious resources retreading the ground where Unreal's programmers had already been.

Licensing the Unreal Engine at that time cost thousands of dollars. However, after 10 years of licensing UE in addition to making their own games with it, they decided to make it available for a $99 upfront cost and 25% royalties if your revenue is greater than $50,000. This was a boon to indie developers, many of whom are super-talented designers and programmers who previously had no access to such technology. Nearly instantly, the market saw novel applications of the technology: Games that weren't shooting games. Educational projects. Architectural models. Things that Epic MegaGames never anticipated, but were still profiting from.

Last month at GDC, Epic made Unreal Engine completely free of cost. You pay zero dollars and get access to the world's most advanced real-time 3d rendering engine, extremely polished tools for artists and designers, and full access to the source code. Talented programmers from around the world can submit their modifications back into the source, which only makes Unreal Engine better and more attractive to future developers. It is a win for everybody. Of course, there is still the catch that if your company makes more than $X, you owe Epic n% royalties. However, if you don't like those terms, you can call them up and negotiate your own terms.

They went from a small company with amazing tech, to top-tier company with REALLY AMAZING tech. They did it through clever licensing of their technology, although not resting on their laurels had no small part in it either.

Before anyone mentions this, I am aware that Segway doesn't make games and that Epic doesn't make electric transportation. However, they do both develop proprietary software for use in-house, except only one of them is using it to bring home the major bacon. I'm curious what other people with software engineering experience think. If the Unreal product was able to turn into the Unreal Engine, why can't the Segway turn into the Segway Engine, able to be licensed and used by anybody?
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"...if you insist on being imprecise in use and unique in definition, you should hardly be surprised that your attempts at communication are poorly understood." -a wise man
Gihgehls is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2015, 10:17 PM   #82
dale@thecoys.net
Senior Member
dale@thecoys.net will become famous soon enough
 
dale@thecoys.net's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Lee's Summit, MO, USA
Posts: 1,217
5 yr Member
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by mryang View Post
A Segway, "open sourced" that anyone can further develop and make your own engineering on whatever it is a 50mph twin axle ATV or a mobile phone booth with the Segway MB as base. Dream
How about an RMP?

http://rmp.segway.com/
dale@thecoys.net is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2015, 10:24 PM   #83
Gihgehls
Senior Member
Gihgehls is just really niceGihgehls is just really niceGihgehls is just really niceGihgehls is just really niceGihgehls is just really nice
 
Gihgehls's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
Posts: 2,086
5 yr Member
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by dale@thecoys.net View Post
How about an RMP?

http://rmp.segway.com/
Excellent example! Although access to the RMP does NOT grant you access to the balancing engine, and it costs many times what a Segway does. But it was a good start for the company. They just needed to DO something with it.
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"...if you insist on being imprecise in use and unique in definition, you should hardly be surprised that your attempts at communication are poorly understood." -a wise man
Gihgehls is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2015, 10:34 PM   #84
KSagal
Glides a lot, talks more...
KSagal has much to be proud ofKSagal has much to be proud ofKSagal has much to be proud ofKSagal has much to be proud ofKSagal has much to be proud ofKSagal has much to be proud ofKSagal has much to be proud ofKSagal has much to be proud ofKSagal has much to be proud of
 
KSagal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Pelham, NH, USA.
Posts: 10,356
5 yr Member HT/PT Owner SegwayFest Attendee
Default

There are lots of people who post nice stories, some with kernels of truth mixed in among the lies and half truths.

Each of us must consider the source of that which we read.

Many of these stories make sense to the author, even if they have very little to do with the topic at hand. Others may see them differently.

Some here have offered up the segway as a parallel to a phone or software package. It is not. Malfunctions will not result in the same dangers.

I am not saying any particular story is a good or bad example of this by this particular posting, just that we should be aware that there are lots of ways to see lots of topics. We should not take any one posting or story or source too influentially, and should always apply our own common sense, and good judgement. And in that judgement, we should consider the source, and their history.

This should include, I might add, any advice one might take from my posts as well. Weigh the source. Consider the motives and history...
__________________
Karl Ian Sagal

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


"Well done is better than well said." (Ben Franklin)
Bene factum melior bene dictum

Proud past President of SEG America and member of the First Premier Segway Enthusiasts Group and subsequent ones as well.

Last edited by KSagal; 04-10-2015 at 10:47 PM..
KSagal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2015, 01:51 AM   #85
mryang
Junior Member
mryang is on a distinguished road
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Sweden
Posts: 31
5 yr Member
Default

As many of you has noticed I'm an idealist. As naive as they come I assume the best of people until proven otherwise. I rarely lock my car. I rarely lock my apartment. I never check my bills. I sleep in my car in the winter. I worked for free 6 months as a digital designer even though I know I can get a top-salary job mostly anywhere. WHY? Because I believe in a free world - Free from greed. Free from wars. Free from egocentric thinking that only profits a close group of people but instead benefits the larger population. But it is possible to cross-think this and gain some monetary profit too, but here we are with a product that just kills itself with protectionistic thinking on steroids.

I love my Segway and think that an eco-driven, non-polluting transportation system should be the leading norm of the world. Here the Segway has a natural place, but yet - is terribly limited by its own design that defeats its world changing goals.

OPEN SOURCE means it is an open software design, but the MEANING is larger than that - It means an invitation for a larger community to be involved and develop whatever suits them best, like Arduino - To join the forces of millions of brains that far out-competes the single brains of an office - Just like Apple Appstore and the open design of it (which in my eyes is a GREAT example of the uncountably variations you can do with an iphone and still make it profitable - EXTREMELY PROFITABLE).

But of course, Segway Inc. could never be that because it is heavily investors based, that frankly wants their money back. That train is already gone, so they need to rethink this completely.

Now, where do we stand? 14 years has passed and a total sales worldwide yet to reach 100.000 - And that sales is represented mostly by TOUR companies, where people basically try the Segway while pretending to discover some city.

Believe it or not I have the recipe for worldwide Segway success.

1. Redesign the battery compartments to allow for a diverse sizes and capacities of batteries.

2. Make an open source software platform.

3. Sell a base unit with this design without batteries, wheels, steering for $999. This is their primary profitable product. By brand, they can also sell a wide range of accessories in the same way Apple sell millions if not billions worth of accessories, even though competitiors sell similar for much much less. When Segway sales reach the millions, they have plenty of margin to experiment with new accessories as the market matures.

Imagine the sheer possibility of the Segway base:

- Moving tables that can carry 150kg
- Mobile platforms for industrial, commercial, private purposes
- Robotics, remote controlled units for automation and / or private use
- etc. etc...

4. SALES would increase ten-fold and profits surpass MILLIONS, every year.

Someone will say why I just don't go and build my own Segway. Why not build my own arduino. Why not build my own Tesla. Because some people already made the Segway great. They just intentionally protected themselves by limiting hardware design, limiting software design, and limiting corporate greed-thinking. This is so sad!

My rant is over. And yes, there are of course many things to it. But that is only excuses to the real problem. Segway is self dying. They need someone like Elon Musk to take over, resuscitate and RECHARGE this company!

See you around

OT:
I recently got a red charging light on my Segway battery. Segway told me it was dead. Segway told me to buy a new battery for +$1000. Their superior built in, on-board charger, developed for 100 million USD sensed that the battery was too risky to charge. I bought my own charger for $73 including shipping from Hong Kong that saved the battery. Segway now defeated by a 73 dollar power supply.
mryang is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2015, 10:10 AM   #86
dale@thecoys.net
Senior Member
dale@thecoys.net will become famous soon enough
 
dale@thecoys.net's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Lee's Summit, MO, USA
Posts: 1,217
5 yr Member
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by mryang View Post
As many of you has noticed I'm an idealist. As naive as they come I assume the best of people until proven otherwise. I rarely lock my car. I rarely lock my apartment. I never check my bills. I sleep in my car in the winter. I worked for free 6 months as a digital designer even though I know I can get a top-salary job mostly anywhere. WHY? Because I believe in a free world - Free from greed. Free from wars. Free from egocentric thinking that only profits a close group of people but instead benefits the larger population. But it is possible to cross-think this and gain some monetary profit too, but here we are with a product that just kills itself with protectionistic thinking on steroids.
Sincerely, thanks for that explanation.
dale@thecoys.net is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:17 PM.
Copyright © 2002-2023 SegwayChat.org.
All rights reserved. Not affiliated with Segway Inc.

FreshBlue vBulletin skin by
VayaDesign
Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
SegwayChat Archive