ZEUS Nanocar

[bentbiker]

Originally Posted by PeteInLongBeach

I'm curious how weight transfer is done to control starting/stopping.

Originally Posted by macgeek

they had to hack the tilt sensor . . .

My take is that the seat just sits above the normal platform and the handle merely slides the seat forward and back relative to the center of the platform. Right and left lean to the stick turns the regular Pivot Base Assembly. Thus, no need to get inside the unit; it could be made into a pretty simple kit.

[Dennis Tracey]

Riding the streets of Utah on this would qualify one as insane. One each monster truck and one each of these makes a tragedy a certainty.

It also ruins one of the advantages of the Segway for mobility assistance. You are back to nose to crotch perspective. Won't be trying to mod mine....

[GadgetmanKen]

Ah, very ingenious. I like it. A very good mod I must say. I bet the converted i2 control shaft is attached to the gear housing. If you notice in the video when he first takes off, and throws the lever forward, his seat also slides forward. This is how he distributes the weight to move forward. I would think that the seat like they are using would be uncomfortable after awhile.

This might be a good answer to a wheel chair type transporter for the disabled, and maybe Disneys answer, too. Don't know.

I do think its doable, and could be available in a kit, where the framework that connects to the gear housing fits on the original i2 control shaft. All that would be needed is that frame work and the seat, I think.

Now, what I think would even be better than what they have here, is to make it a convertable. Not a rag top. But convertable, whereby you could somehow raise the handlebar assembly upward and raise the seat with it on the fulcrum and make it also seated but standing up. It doesn't show how easy it is to sit down on it, tho. That may be a problem.

On a side note, I found a little humor in it. It almost looks like he's handleing himself. I think the joystick should be higher up and less between the legs.

[segsurfer]

Interesting idea, but I don't see why anyone would like to take something as innovative as a segway and completely change orientation. I understand the point of a seat as I am handicapped and I use one on my own segway, but to take a segway and basically turn it into a very expensive huffy green machine seems like a step backwards.

[quade]

Originally Posted by segsurfer

. . . but to take a segway and basically turn it into a very expensive huffy green machine seems like a step backwards.

To me, that statement is a bit like when the boys in spandex ride by and say "you're cheating".

I always tell them I'm not cheating because I'm not playing the same game they are.

I think this mod shows an awesome amount of creativity in looking at something most people see ONE way and using it in a totally different way. My guess is that most people that think you're a geek a on a Segway would think this very same mod is one of the coolest things they've ever seen.

That said . . . THIS is not the answer to Segways at Disney parks either. I think people would be tripping over it quite a bit since it sits so low and long.

Another issue I see with the mod is that it's going to have a few issues using ramps due to front ground clearance issues.

It IS however an awesome mod with a couple of interesting applications including a Foo-mobile as a parade vehicle.

[Desert_Seg]

It does appear the seat slides forward and back and that the central shaft is the new steering mechanism.

I just don't see the value of this mod BUT it does show the potential mods that are out there.

Steven

[quade]

So, it's going to probably be ok on 1:12 (inch per foot) standard ramps, but I seriously doubt it's going to be able to go UP something like Fargo street forward.

[CovRob]

In the 1980's a UK inventor, Sir Clive Sinclair, lost a lot of money on this project:

Full information on an enthusiast's site here: http://www.sinclairc5.com/

Electrically powered but with the option of pedal assistance. It was fully road legal in the UK...but sank like a lead balloon. Almost the same sort of speed and range as the Segway, but with three wheels. The seating position was almost exactly the same as the nanocar.

[SegwayDan]

Yeah, it's creative, yeah, it's cool. But it's kinda silly, too. You're sitting way too low for seeing and being seen, and your legs become obstructions, both to your own maneuverability and to others around you. The extra pieces add weight, and the missing fenders will be noticed soon enough by the rider.

I don't see any springs, either. SITTING on that base for any length of time over the normal variety of sidewalk and road surfaces is going to jar the whole hip and spinal structure rather uncomfortably.

And what about panic stops? Pushing on that single stick between your legs FORWARD to slide your seat BACK I'd think would be awkward and inefficient.

Nah. Back to the drawing board, I'd say.

I'd be interested to learn just what inspired the creator of this mutation of concept? Leg trouble? Back trouble? Can't stand for extended periods? It is indeed creative, but the possibility that one such arbitrary would spawn this entire collection of additional arbitraries is an interesting phenomenon.

[SegwayDan]

I think you're right. The demo video looks convincing. But out in the real world, the loss of leverage of your whole body for acceleration control, and for leaning into turns will prove to be quite unpleasant.