Seg Wheelchair Barcelona Spain

[Bru]

Greetings, I write again to ask if anyone in this community has made successful contact with the designer Josep Mora, in Barcelona, Spain, whose modified Segway was featured on this Youtube site in January 07:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv_SfonG4w4
I have emailed but have had no response. It's not just about the seat. For my needs, the two most salient features of this modified segway are that it appears that one can mount it while it is turned off and transfer directly from a WC seat, and that the steering column folds for compact storage. I'd greatly appreciate hearing from any one who has been able to find out more from Sr. Mora: www.josep.mora.com or josepmora@mixmail.com. Thanks in advance for your responses.

[Desert_Seg]

Bru,

I too have sent him e-mails with no success. Let me see if there are other ways I can reach out to him.

Steven

[Tarkus]

Not I either and I didn't expect to.
To have the idea and make a "one off" is one thing, production another.

He doesn't seem as interested in the Seg conversion as he is into designer chairs. Sounds like a hobbyist.

Be Big,
Alan

[Madsegs]

I will try to get ahold of him as i know the sales people in Barcelona personally. Any questions that i should ask?

[polo_pro]

I will try to get ahold of him as i know the sales people in Barcelona personally. Any questions that i should ask?

It's very good of you to take the time to help your fellow glider. Rep points for you!

[Desert_Seg]

I will try to get ahold of him as i know the sales people in Barcelona personally. Any questions that i should ask?

Antonio,

My questions are simple:

1. Can we buy the designs (or better yet, will he give them to us :p) as we have a couple of clients who would benefit greatly from this unit.

2. Can he send hi-res pics so we can have a better look at what he did?

PM me when (if) you get an answer and I'll reply.

Thanks,

Steven

[Madsegs]

Will get some pics soon. It is a one off ,not profesional as for production. The seat tilts back and forward. the shaft was cut and a hinge and fastner bolt fitted. I got this info from the dealer today but he will get more info soon. It apparently is very simple but works effectively.
Antony

[Bru]

Dear Antony of Madsegs,
It was so wonderful to see your reply to my query. In addition to the questions above I'd like to know which model he used. I am displaying my ignorance here- it looks like an i180, but am not sure. The back and seat are quite different than the "Segseat" I have seen available. It would be helpful to know where those can be obtained.
I would also be much obliged if, when you receive more info on Sr. Mora's modified Segway, either design specs or images, you could send these to me also. Thanks so much for your prompt response and research. Regards,
Bru

[Bru]

About a month ago I posted a query here about the modified Segway designed by Josep Mora in Barcelona Spain that appeared on YouTube in January. Has anyone been able to get specifications or high-res. images?Would appreciate response ASAP. Thanks.

[SegWayne]

I noticed that Mora had 2 displays at this museum (http://www.museuartsdecoratives.bcn.es/english/exposic/expo2.htm). This exhibit closed last month, so the museum should have some recent contact info on him. Also, if everyone is leaving messages in English, someone might try Spanish. As much as we like to think everyone in the world understands English, many, many don't.

Wayne
sometimes you can raise the bridge, sometimes you have to lower the river

[Madsegs]

Sorry guys nothing yet. I am still trying via the segway dealer to get some photos.

[Madsegs]

He is still working on improving the design and may well market it when done.....
I also was told that with a handbrake type lever it drops 4 stands for stability whilst moving from the wheelchair to the segway.
The chair moves slightly and does tilt.
The bar has been cut in 2 and a crude hinge fitted but all is functional.
The inside bar has also been cut to shorten it.
He would prefer us not to take photos yet.
He is concidering a patent.

Info from www.barcelonaglides.com (http://www.barcelonaglides.com) (my friend Edgar)

[polo_pro]

He is still working on improving the design and may well market it when done.....
I also was told that with a handbrake type lever it drops 4 stands for stability whilst moving from the wheelchair to the segway.
The chair moves slightly and does tilt.
The bar has been cut in 2 and a crude hinge fitted but all is functional.
The inside bar has also been cut to shorten it.
He would prefer us not to take photos yet.
He is concidering a patent.

Info from www.barcelonaglides.com (http://www.barcelonaglides.com) (my friend Edgar)

Thanks (both you and him) for the update. There's many on this forum that are clearly interested in this. I just hope it doesn't take as long as Mario's Segseat for this product to make it out to the general public where it can do so many people good.

By the way, I really like the idea of 4 stands being dropped by the lever. That should be patentable IMHO. And it's long overdue for making segways accessible to more of the disabled population!

[Desert_Seg]

I agree, he should patent it but, unfortunately, the more descriptors he posts on the web the less chance he has of getting a patent without spending lots and lots of money.

My advice....keep quiet or he risks losing the value of this development.

Steven

[Tarkus]

I agree, he should patent it but, unfortunately, the more descriptors he posts on the web the less chance he has of getting a patent without spending lots and lots of money.

My advice....keep quiet or he risks losing the value of this development.

Steven

Agreed. Don't ever show your hand.

Of course there are a few problems with this modification. First it does not eliminate the Segway access issue. No need to go further there we all know the question marks.

The other is that to produce a product that has a very limited market is dangerous business. Others have tried and there are simply not enough Segways out there to make it profitable. That will lead to a hefty price tag.

Look at the Segseat. A fine design, beautiful machining and Mario who worked as hard as anyone could to make it work and he is struggling.

This product would be wonderful and I hope that it sees "the light of day" because it would really open up the Segway to a whole new group of persons with disabilities.

I just don't think the demand is there at this time.

Be Big,
Alan

[Bru]

Greetings. I check on this site periodically for progress and am getting a bit frustrated. I agree that Sr. Mora deserves recognition and recompense for his work and investment. But as noted, the market is limited; if the design is not going to be promoted as a medical device, thereby avoiding having to jump through all the regulatory hoops (like the iBot), one would hope the final price will reflect that. Out of pocket costs are already high for those who choose a Segway over a health insurance approved power chair. Meanwhile my i180 sits waiting; I only hope that I can afford it when it happens.

[sBucko]

Meanwhile my i180 sits waiting; I only hope that I can afford it when it happens.
I thought I would repost a post I put on Wheelchair Junkie a year ago.
http://www.wheelchairjunkie.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=016328;p=1
Build it Yourself


I did post on Segway Chat & although no disabled users replied I did get some good responses. http://forums.segwaychat.com/showthread.php?t=12294 I posted on Draft but no one responded, funny its where I got all the pic’s for seats.

Because of the Segway’s balancing feature, foot print and available payload I see the Segway as an ideal platform to use as a base to build a wheelchair around. I am at present using a mobility scooter and have seen first hand how a small foot print and zero turning circle would be beneficial. It is amazing how in a crowd of people they assume you can magically glide out of their way to the left or right. I am hoping to use a Segway as a mobility scooter and as time and MND/ALS progress perform modifications to the Segway the hardest being control with a joystick. I thought of mounting a seat on the Segway backwards but the Segway is speed restricted in reverse, this may be modifiable by the starting key.

Segway sell a unit called an RMP (Robotic Mobile Platform) that would lend it’s self to putting a chair & joystick on. To prove the concept here’s a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdRrNQ8JAG4

BUT Segway don’t sell them to the general public. Why, I don’t know maybe litigation, probably though because Johnson & Johnson own the technology rights for disability mobility equipment & they are busy with the IBOT. I believe the RMP cost US$15000.00, can not see how?????? After all Segway don’t sell their scooter as a mobility assistance device rather as personal transport I believe it to be the J&J connection as why and as such there is at present no official development in our direction.
An Australian Professor, Ray Jarvis, wrote a paper about using a standard Segway as an RMP,so I rang him for a chat. Obviously converting the left/right steering to a joystick is simple enough, Ray had taken the gyro unit out & mounted it via a servo, alas he told me it only controlled acceleration, that is he could not control/achieve a constant speed, it may be different if you were sitting on it but both Ray & I doubt it.

So how do we stabilize it when transferring or sitting around( no pun intended) having a beer or a cuppa, well an Australian fellow has an idea called Flat, don’t laugh they are developing it for helicopters now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn62p7diHvE
it is a bit grainy. We could also hinge and collar the handle bar shaft near the base so it completely folds out of the way when transferring.

My biggest issue is our Recommended Retail Price in Australia is a bit over US$7000.00 & then I have to modify it.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j271/sBucko/Segway/segchopper.jpg



Enter the new model the i2………….nothing in the shaft at all every thing is in the base, how cool, it is steered by rocking the shaft from left to right, but here in lies one of the problems when traversing sideways along the side of a hill or embankment the shaft needs to be vertical to the horizon or the unit will steer up or down. It makes sense for the able bodied maybe it could be turned off or tricked

Your going to have to build it yourself (or find someone), the market is so small & is unable to be supplied by insurance or government departments (as it is here in Oz) making the market even smaller. The FDA is not a concern for any outside the US what is the price & then having to modify the thing, they’re aren’t many 2nd hand units coming available here & when they do they are around $5000.00US(whine, whine, whine)

Unfortunately my motor neuron disease (ALS / MND) has progressed so far that I’m no longer in an electric wheelchair but a manual one that someone has to push but I can still dream and solve engineering problems.


Cheers Steve

ps G'Day Alan

[nora k]

Greetings. I check on this site periodically for progress and am getting a bit frustrated. I agree that Sr. Mora deserves recognition and recompense for his work and investment. But as noted, the market is limited; if the design is not going to be promoted as a medical device, thereby avoiding having to jump through all the regulatory hoops (like the iBot), one would hope the final price will reflect that. Out of pocket costs are already high for those who choose a Segway over a health insurance approved power chair. Meanwhile my i180 sits waiting; I only hope that I can afford it when it happens.

Bru,

I hope that she doesn't sit too long. We know she'll treat you and your east coast folks well. in fact, we were just talking about you the other day and hoping you'd been able to take advantage of the seat construction.

[Madsegs]

sorry but still no pics. I am chasing them and have not forgotten.

[Robert-A]

Here goes nothing, this is my first post so please forgive any breaches of ettiqutte or procedure. I am a wheelchair using paraplegic (T6 complete) for the past 23 years. While I have been very atlhletic in the past with tennis and raquetball, time, gravity, and having to work for a living are finally beginning to slow me dowm (48 yrs old). Enter the segway. I was inspired by a paraplegic STANDING on a Segway at the Abilities Expo in Long Beach CA. He was strapped in (looked extremely dangerous) but glided effortlessly around the convention center. Another 'still in testing, not for sale but we are working on it' situation. Being the gotta have it now guy I relentlessly researched and researched (SewayChat, INC, DRAFT, YouTube, etc...)and bought an i180 from SegwayLA. Sidenote: SegwayLA - fantastic customer service. My segway didn't sit long as I had ro wreslte my wife off of it so I could try it. In my garage with the aid of a small folding fishing chair (not recommended) I climbed on this bucking bronco in balance mode (not recommended) and procedeed to glide not only outside over the grass but also indoors (highly recommended). WOW, I mean WOW. For my lifestyle I see it as a possile additional tool for increased functionallity. better mobility than a standing chair. better outdoor range and mobility over a wider range of surfaces. Yea this might work. For the Segway to be truely functional for me I have to overcome the big basic problems: must be able to mount or dismount anywhere (home, hotels, resturants, etc...). must have that emergemcy "parachute" ready for battery or electronics failure. I'm aiming at Thursday Aug 9th at the Ventura County Fair as my first real life siituation testing date.

Thanks for reading,

-Robert

[Tarkus]

Robert, your challenge, like most of us is the transfers.

I would not worry much about a "failure" of the system. I have a ton of hours and it's never happened to me or anyone I know.

Enjoy your new found freedom !

Be Big,
Alan

PS-As a test I let the Segway get to the last bar and from that point on I had , at fast walking pace, at least 30 min. to bail or recharge. To get the "bail now" warning for charge it's because the glider has not kept an eye on the power.

[SegWayne]

..... I'm aiming at Thursday Aug 9th at the Ventura County Fair as my first real life siituation testing date.

Thanks for reading,

-Robert

Ok, anybody up for a fair? I'm in Texas now, so I can't be there, but anyone else able to rally & support Robert ????

Good Luck and have a great glide Robert...

[Madsegs]

I have no news on this and not sure if i will EVER get a photo or see it as much as i have tried. Sorry all. If things change i will post it.

[Tarkus]

I'm not surprised that more info was hard to find in a "one -off"

I don't want to "tease" anyone but I have seen and used a Gen II mod that would eliminate all those transfer problems.

I can't say more at this time. Hopefully this mod will be available as a custom parts package.

Be Big,
Alan

[Bru]

Season's Greetings to all...I'm still pending modification, have not been able to use my i180 yet. But some terrific young people who are into robotics are working on it with me. Now this "mod" package you are referring to, could it be used on a first generation Segway like mine? Regards,
Bru

[Tarkus]

Season's Greetings to all...I'm still pending modification, have not been able to use my i180 yet. But some terrific young people who are into robotics are working on it with me. Now this "mod" package you are referring to, could it be used on a first generation Segway like mine? Regards,
Bru


No Sir it can't.
The ease of the GenII mod is no electric controls in the CS so it leaves more room for change.

I'll post some pics when I get the OK.
How are things in Central NJ ? Lived in the area for years.

Be Big,
Alan

[Shell]

I am looking, as well, so if you find out, please let me know!

Thanks!

[Robert-A]

No Sir it can't.
The ease of the GenII mod is no electric controls in the CS so it leaves more room for change.

Be Big,
Alan

My experience in creating a folding 1st gen CS for seated Seg use has been only semi-sucessful. It works, but due to the low level needed to fold below seat height the wiring harness takes a beating it was not design for. The constant bending and unbending will eventually cause damage that will lead to wiring repairs and emergency shutdowns. I remembering reading about these wiring issues on SC with constant handlebar height adjustment or internal pinching of the wiring assembly. Trust me, an emergency shutdown is something you do not want to experience while seated .[B)].
I'm considering wiring redesign as well as mod on my new I2.

this mod is the most fun I've had in a long time.
-Robert

[segsurfer]

My experience in creating a folding 1st gen CS for seated Seg use has been only semi-sucessful. It works, but due to the low level needed to fold below seat height the wiring harness takes a beating it was not design for. The constant bending and unbending will eventually cause damage that will lead to wiring repairs and emergency shutdowns. I remembering reading about these wiring issues on SC with constant handlebar height adjustment or internal pinching of the wiring assembly. Trust me, an emergency shutdown is something you do not want to experience while seated .[B)].
I'm considering wiring redesign as well as mod on my new I2.

this mod is the most fun I've had in a long time.
-Robert

Let me know how modding your i2 works out.
-segsurfer

[Robert-A]

Let me know how modding your i2 works out.
-segsurfer



Sharing my experiences is half the fun :)


-Robert