A wonderful speech on universal design...

[segsurfer]

I stumbled upon this while searching for news footage of last week's segs4vets presentation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BldBsOgXdvg
-segsurfer

[homey]

makes an argument for bringing back the Gen1's. i don't see the elderly as comfortable with lean steer do you?

[segsurfer]

makes an argument for bringing back the Gen1's. i don't see the elderly as comfortable with lean steer do you?

You'd be surprised...while I'm not elderly, I do have a condition known as cerebal palsey which causes me to have little to no sense of balance and muscle control issues with my legs, but I prefer the gen two. One of the big hurdles with the lean steer is that it's difficult to learn if you're used to something else. Nowadays, even the majority of the segs4vets recipients recieve gen two's...very rarely do they want or need gen one's.
-segsurfer

[KSagal]

While I don't have the challenges that some others have, I can really appreciate the universal design factors in the segway in a manner that is rarely seen elsewhere...

I did not view the above video, (My computer called an error and told me try later?) but I am responding to the thought that the elderly would prefer the gen 1 over the gen 2...

The thought of a rigid control shaft like on a gen 1 makes the structure of the segway more conventional, and more easy to conceive to those who are unfamiliar or marginally familiar with it... The thought that it offers support or is easier to use is not based on segway use, but on external factors of how other things work...

In fact, speaking for myself only, the gen 1, while I loved it, is actually harder to ride... Think back to the early days of this forum, in that people had to constantly be reminded that they had to lean into the turns, and leave the control shaft behind. I can recall developing that very technique, where I would lean hard, but leave one hand behind (at the center of the seg) so I could steer. On hard turns one direction, I would actually cross steer, and bring my right hand to the left grip so I could lean easier...

All that goes away with the gen 2. You keep your hands with your body, and everything goes the same way... You no longer have to learn to lean with most of your body, but leave this or that individual part out of it...

Much in the same manner of actually walking. If you are walking against a strong wind, up a steep hill, a person will instinctively lean their whole body into it. They will not leave an arm or other part out of the lean, unless acted upon by a foreign influence...

In comes true universal design. The gen 2 actually responds more closely to the way a human actually motivates themself. It does not do as we do except for your arm, or except for this or that. It just does as we do...

All segways require the operator to learn to trust the machine. This is something that many people do have to struggle with... But the gen 1 machine also requires people to learn to lean in a specific way, that the gen 2 does not require...

Each person needs to evaluate a segway and its application to their situation on very personal criteria. While I do see that a rigid control shaft adds some capacity, it comes at a cost or expense elsewhere. I do not see that one design is clearly superior to the other for all, but I do feel that the gen 2 design is superior for far more.

Any way you slice it, to seg is far better than to not seg....

Now I must go and try to figure out why I was unable to see this video...

[homey]

um.. well said

long live the lean steer design :thumbsup: the seat he is sitting on during the lecture would afford him little or no body action with either generation. so i wonder why he is on a Gen1.

[Five-Flags]

um.. well said

long live the lean steer design :thumbsup: the seat he is sitting on during the lecture would afford him little or no body action with either generation. so i wonder why he is on a Gen1.

Jerry mentioned in the lecture that he travels all over the world. Since Li-Ions cannot fly, and Gen 2s cannot use NiMH, he really has no other option.

It is a shame that the option for NiMH for Gen 2 machines that he mentioned as "possibly later this year" (2008) hasn't happened yet.

:)

[Bob.Kerns]

makes an argument for bringing back the Gen1's. i don't see the elderly as comfortable with lean steer do you?

I dunno, my mother seems pretty comfortable. Maybe she'll chime in.

Most people don't have too much trouble with lateral stability. There are those who do, but it's generally not from being elderly. For some of them, the Gen 1 can help, as can a seat on a Gen 2.

I still think an attachment to help these people with a Gen 2 would be feasible. Maybe a handle to hang onto on one side, as they steer with the other?

I think it would take some experimentation to find what really works for both Segway and Glider.

[Lily Kerns]

I dunno, my mother seems pretty comfortable. Maybe she'll chime in.

Most people don't have too much trouble with lateral stability. There are those who do, but it's generally not from being elderly. For some of them, the Gen 1 can help, as can a seat on a Gen 2.

I still think an attachment to help these people with a Gen 2 would be feasible. Maybe a handle to hang onto on one side, as they steer with the other?

I think it would take some experimentation to find what really works for both Segway and Glider.

Yes, I'm elderly. <G> I've never been on the Gen 1, but I love the Gen 2. It is very instinctive, I don't have to think about how to make it move or turn. It is very natural--I find myself pretty much dancing my way...

I think this is a very personal matter and what works for one would not necessarily be right for another, but I would start someone on a gen 2 and then go to something more rigid if necessary.

As for seats, I now have one but have not had time to really get used to it and I'll post more about that a bit later. I will say this, however, there is a learning curve. I suspect that starting with a seat if that is what you need would be easier than to adjust to the differences after being accustomed to the freedom of normal gliding. I will add that this seat makes you very stable. I have trouble writing a check while standing, but on the seat--no problem...

More later....

[Bob.Kerns]

As for seats, I now have one but have not had time to really get used to it and I'll post more about that a bit later. I will say this, however, there is a learning curve. I suspect that starting with a seat if that is what you need would be easier than to adjust to the differences after being accustomed to the freedom of normal gliding. I will add that this seat makes you very stable. I have trouble writing a check while standing, but on the seat--no problem...

More later....

You didn't tell me you were thinking about a seat! Which one did you get?

[Lily Kerns]

You didn't tell me you were thinking about a seat! Which one did you get?

I'm going to move this answer to the disability forum.