Segway Merges with JWH Holdings (Segway UK)

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by Isidore

I don't know the detail (but I know a man who does) but the gyros were not specially developed for the Segway, it was a unit that came (I believe) from a missile system and is very similar to gyros packs used in car skid control systems today. I know that things cost an awful lot to develop in the US but 100M sounds too high. Incidentally speaking of gyros, how many of you feel the gyros in gen 1 machines are better than those in the i2? I am thinking in particular of how the i2 gets quickly confused if ridden across cobbles while the gen 1 does not.

I wonder about that as well, but I had always thought it a factor in the software, not the hardware...

I don't know if the 'gyros' (I don't believe there are actually any gyroscopes in the segway, but a cluster of components that act similarly) are any different between the two machines, but they may be...

[Gihgehls]

IIRC the gen 1 segways use angular rate sensors (commonly called "solid state gyros") just like gen 2, however gen 1 uses fluid-filled tilt sensors to calibrate the gyros, while gen 2 uses accelerometers.

[Civicsman]

Originally Posted by KSagal

...(I don't believe there are actually any gyroscopes in the segway, but a cluster of components that act similarly) ...

Live and learn. http://www.siliconsensing.com/segway

MEMS gyros, like I said. The basic technology of MEMS gyros was developed for other applications, but Silicon Sensing worked "for several years" to develop the Balance Sensor Assembly which was unique in the way it minimized components while handling the redundancy requirement. Somebody paid for that.

[copterjoe]

Well, this will take a while to sort out. I guess I just will sit back and watch for a while.

[gbrandwood]

Originally Posted by Gihgehls

IIRC the gen 1 segways use angular rate sensors (commonly called "solid state gyros") just like gen 2, however gen 1 uses fluid-filled tilt sensors to calibrate the gyros, while gen 2 uses accelerometers.

I did not know that. Further discussion is probably something for another thread - but interesting to note; the differences/benefits of each approach.