
Japanese mini Segway “WalkCar” - lisper
http://www.catchynet.com/2015/08/japanese-mini-segway-walkcar.html
======
mrinterweb
The wheels on this device are smaller than I'd feel safe riding on. Small
rocks can stop a skateboard, and when they do, it is much better to be
perpendicular rather than facing forward when stopped abruptly. I remember
goofing off riding on a board facing forward, and every time the board stopped
abruptly, I would fall face forward. Unrelated, they could have picked better
music for the video.

~~~
semi-extrinsic
Small rocks etc. is one thing, but going around a city there's so many manmade
obstacles as well. Every sidewalk curb, cobblestone, pothole, with this thing
you have to stop, bend down and pick it up, walk a step or two, put it down
and resume. At least on a skateboard/longboard you can kick it up and throw it
down again, or even just ollie shit.

~~~
steve19
China is churning out cheap mini-segways that are not much bigger and have
larger pneumatic tires. This is just the first one I found on ebay for $370
(including shipping):

[http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Mini-Smart-Self-Balancing-
Electr...](http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Mini-Smart-Self-Balancing-Electric-
Unicycle-Scooter-Balance-2-Wheels-colors-/361355582245)

~~~
placebo
The specs show the maximum speed is 100km/h - sounds a bit risky :-)

~~~
prawn
It lists maximum load as "20kg"!

~~~
m_mueller
The perfect way to send your six year old to first grade!

------
netcan
This is a slight tangent but....

It's unfortunate that we have such restrictive and inconsistent rules around
the place concerning these light electric vehicles. I realize that electric
bikes really push the motorbike-bike line, but this stuff is being invented
and experimented on at a clip and it's hard to figure out the best form
factors when the rules are all defined around what was available and popular
at some point.

And, it's important to advance... All these little electric vehicles are
potentially really helpful. No emissions, low energy, far less infrastructure
than cars and trains. All the segway fantasies could actually come true, in
some form as these things improve. They just need to keep improving the
battery tech and let these guys experiment with form factor.

Here's my request for the V2: double the size and design it to be used sitting
in the lotus position. It'd be a flying carpet... that flies really low.

~~~
vegabook
Imagine two of these colliding head on in a mall or campus. Potential 15mph
head banger. Definitely dangerous and maybe fatal. That's why these rules are
proliferating. Fact is the radius in which any of these motorised mobility
aids is safe is much larger than that of a pedestrian. Our legs, torsos are
very strong, with dozens of muscles wired directly to our brains for minimum
latency, so we can stop or dodge essentially instantly. These tools are
therefore appropriate only in less densely travelled areas (factories,
warehouses, etc) or on special pathways with strict traffic rules.

~~~
hiou
You seriously believe that if two people collided on these they would both
die? You actually believe death would result? Just... I don't even...

~~~
jotm
at 10 km/h (3 meters/second, 4-5 times faster than the average walking speed),
it's plausible that you could to fall off, hit your head on the pavement
and... die, yes.

~~~
tomp
you mean, the same as if you trip while walking, hit your head on the pavement
and die?

~~~
jotm
pretty much, but at least you don't have 4 wheels to slide from under you as
you try to keep your footing :-)

------
SiVal
I don't understand who this is for. To be able to remain balanced on a small
patch of ground that can zip around in any direction under your feet with no
handholds requires MORE balance than ordinary walking. That means that almost
anyone who could safely use this would have to be healthy enough to walk
normally. Walking is almost as fast, vastly more flexible, convenient,
reliable, cheap....

Yes, it's more tiring, but someone who could safely use one of these could
also safely cruise around on a scooter with larger wheels and a handle for
much higher speed, much lower cost, more stability, no fear of running out of
power, better handling over uneven surfaces, etc.

The people who need powered transportation on walkways tend to be those with
limited personal mobility, and most of them would be at great risk balanced on
one of these things. They need something stable to sit on, not something
unstable to stand on.

The best market I can think of for these things is relatively young, healthy
workers gliding around the smooth floor of a very large warehouse all day long
carrying small objects. But that's not how they seem to be positioning this
thing, and most of those jobs will be robotized, because the little warehouse
scooter doesn't really need the person.

~~~
jusben1369
At lower speeds would it be much different to a moving walkway? As for use
cases these would be unlimited! I imagine 10km/ph is as fast as a taxi would
average in a busy downtown

~~~
pavel_lishin
You can put your legs in a wider stance on a moving walkway. Furthermore, if
the walkway happens to stutter, the rest of the walkway's speed isn't
significantly different from the speed of the patch you're standing on.

------
abledon
Cool toy but seems gimmicky. The research just keeps piling up about how
sitting at our desks all day is terrible for our health... That we need to get
up and walk and move, the exact thing this product seems to be trying to
outsource. Too bad we evolved to move about our environments using our legs,
instead of stay immobile in a dark swampy cave with bio-luminescent algae
interfaces.

~~~
jkaunisv1
It was gimmicky for me until it showed him walking with his mom. My
grandmother used to love going for walks but now gets too tired too fast. I'm
not saying I'd buy one of these just for that use case, but that's the moment
that made me see realistic applications. Could work well with a "granny
grocery cart", extending the time a person can stay independent as they age
without being as cumbersome as a wheelchair.

~~~
iak8god
My grandmother is also experiencing declining mobility. She'd probably break
her hip getting on this thing, or hopping off to stop it.

~~~
sitkack
The lack of movement causes bone degeneration. In the majority of broken hip
cases, the hip breaks AND THEN the person falls. What your grandmother needs
is to do squats and have mild but abrupt force applied to her bones.

~~~
jasonm23
This comment requires the disclaimer-

Not a doctor.

~~~
sitkack
On the internet, everyone is not a doctor.

------
mcphage
Rather than something for me to ride, I'd rather have something that I can
toss things onto, that would follow behind me (like Tensor's Floating Disc).

~~~
noobie
The Luggage™

~~~
mcphage
Kinda, just with (a bit) less eating people :-)

~~~
minot
Is this where Boston Robotics comes in?

For heavy load, they have wild cat[wildcat] and for lighter loads, they have
spot [spot]. For Ussain Bolt, there is the cheetah [cheetah] that can keep up
with the pace peaking at over 29 miles per hour. All these are at various
stages in development and as far as I understand not ready for production.

spot
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3fmFTtP9g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3fmFTtP9g)

wildcat
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3fmFTtP9g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3fmFTtP9g)

cheetah
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chPanW0QWhA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chPanW0QWhA)

~~~
Dylan16807
If you're hiking, maybe. If you're doing almost anything else a platform with
wheels should suffice at a tiny fraction of the cost.

------
DenisM
The real mini-Segway: electric monocycle Solo-wheel.

[http://www.amazon.com/Inventist-SW1-Solowheel-
by/dp/B007Q3FZ...](http://www.amazon.com/Inventist-SW1-Solowheel-
by/dp/B007Q3FZYK)

------
frankus
I'd be super worried riding this in anything other than a smooth indoor
environment, as it looks like the smallest chunk of gravel could send you
flying.

But I think the non-self-balancing but still weight-sensing control scheme has
a lot of promise (I've built a few of theses myself: [https://endless-
sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=49557...](https://endless-
sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=49557&sid=3adbdea146edf1d0011cd3b05eb0427b)).
I've found segway-style vehicles really twitchy to ride (since they'll
literally tip over if they don't react quickly and forcefully enough), whereas
basic weight sensing control is super intuitive (much more so than, say, the
hand control on the Boosted boards).

~~~
Asbostos
Is it possible that the front wheels being powered could climb up a small
stone, unlike a skateboard that is kind of pushed horizontally into it by
momentum?

------
mcphage
> Can you remember the Segway?

Yeah.

> And how we all thought of it as the new way of human transportation?

No, I don't remember that bit.

~~~
51Cards
That was how it was marketed when it first came out. It will revolutionize
human transportation they said. Everyone will have one they said.

I almost rented one for the first time on vacation this spring... then I just
walked instead.

~~~
calgoo
I love watching tourists crash on those things here in Barcelona ;P. I see
them as being too unbalanced, compared to the small scooter bikes that are
being rented as well [1]. I see the similar thing with these "platforms". The
wheels almost reminds me office chairs :), and i know how bad the sidewalks
are for example, not to mention holes and other objects.

1:
[http://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com/shopv3/en/product/21110/...](http://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com/shopv3/en/product/21110/electric-
scooter-hire.html)

------
mirimir
So twice normal walking speed is good. I can walk at 10 kmph, and I can walk
12 km. But I can't walk 12 km at 10 kmph. However, I can't imagine that I
could balance on such a small, short platform, moving at 10 kmph. Even on a
smooth surface. And the shape seems wrong. I'd be far more comfortable on a
board. Sideways is cool, but only when leaning backward. Catching an edge is
so not fun.

~~~
krasin
Unlike skateboards, the four wheels on this platform make almost a square.
There's a chance that it can handle pot holes better, since three wheels will
still be enough. But yeah, I share your feelings about edges.

------
namlem
Is it as cheap as these[1] mass produced mini segways that have become
popular? The linked products also have a range of 8 miles and a top speed of
more than 9mph.

[1][http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-
alias%3Dap...](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-
alias%3Daps&field-keywords=self%20balancing%20scooter)

~~~
sschueller
This is the same device being sold by iohawk and Phunkee Duck for over $1,500.
Phunkee Duck managed to get celebrities to use them and people are spending a
fortune although it is the identical product!

They are available directly from the original manufacturer in china via
alibaba [1] or aliexpress for around $150-$300.

[1] [http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2015-New-Two-Wheels-
Se...](http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2015-New-Two-Wheels-Self-
Balancing_60294686959.html?spm=a2700.7724856.35.1.AAvdiZ)

------
lotu
One practical if very niche use I could see for this would be doing steady
shots when filming. I don't think it would let you do anything new but it
might make doing some types of shots easier.

~~~
sitkack
These exist already. People are using monorover or similar (self balancing
scooter) for dolly shots.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UYzaWGTov0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UYzaWGTov0)

[https://vimeo.com/77716627](https://vimeo.com/77716627)

------
newmotors
Does anyone know what are the motor and battery specifications on this device?
Which motor do they use? Which battery?

~~~
sshagent
thats exactly my first thoughts. Seems a bold claim to travel so far, with
such a seemingly small potential battery space

~~~
ramgorur
yes, also going over the steep with stuffs on a cart, it's quite a stretch for
such a small device.

------
Thiz
Malls and airports, for rent, $5 an hour, millions sold.

~~~
kristopolous
need to require non-anonymous payment (credit card etc) because they'd be very
steal-able.

Also, train stations.

~~~
kaybe
In Brussels you can rent bikes from public transport at numerous stations in
the city. Either be a registered citizen or allow them to put 150€ on hold on
your credit card (and pay 1.60€ per day as long as no ride is longer than (I
think) half an hour). It's easy to use and popular, so I don't think it'd be a
problem.

~~~
dingaling
We have a similar scheme in Belfast now but the hold-funds requirement is a
disincentive for people with debit cards.

Since you have to log in to your bank beforehand and pre-fund the card it
eliminates spontaneity.

I see few tourists using them either.

------
ansible
Based on its design, I can't imagine it going very far or very fast. The
appear (what there was) of the Segway is that it will allow a normal human to
go much further, much faster than would be possible by walking. And without
breaking a sweat.

With the tiny wheels, I'd think it would be a rough ride anywhere near where I
live... with the uneven sidewalks and other transitions needed.

~~~
lming
"VentureBeat reported that it can go up to 6.2 miles per hour for up to 7.4
miles. It needs three hours to charge."

It's amazing that the tiny battery can run 7.4 miles...

[http://venturebeat.com/2015/08/07/pocket-sized-personal-
tran...](http://venturebeat.com/2015/08/07/pocket-sized-personal-transporters-
could-soon-be-seen-on-the-streets-of-tokyo/)

------
Animats
You can't stop fast with that thing, except by jumping off. See the video at
0:50. Jump off or face-plant, those are the options. Riders need basic
skateboarding skills to use this thing, but skateboarders will be bored by it.

The Segway can stop fast without a face plant. That's what makes it usable.

The BPG Motors transforming motorcycle[1], with both a Segway form and a
motorcycle form, seemed to be a really good concept four years ago. They
demoed, then the product disappeared. They've come out with a two-tracked off-
road standup ATV (the "Shredder"), but it's not for urban use.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odI4WaYEcCU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odI4WaYEcCU)

------
zeeed
I believe this will be most awesome on tradeshows or on large company
premises.

I'd be interested to see how it can deal with gravel, rain, wind and what
happens when you encounter that small step that is just a tad bit higher than
the device can take.

------
evo_9
Seems incomplete. Surely one would want simple foot controls to allow stopping
without having to jump off. Or even moderate speed control.

Also having recently seen first hand how much losing ones mobility to illness,
this could be a really great product for older people if it were modified into
a walker that carried you. Also if it were setup as a walker for the elderly
basic hand controls could be added.

Very interesting product I all be very interest to see how this develops and
improves with an iteration or two.

~~~
david-given
There are parts of the video where he slows down and speeds up. Tilting
forwards and backwards, maybe? I think the jumping off feature is being
demonstrated more as a safety system, rather the main way you control the
speed.

------
codemonkeymike
I cant seem to get into this idea. First if I were to ride this in NYC I would
probably be on my face with the 2 inch wheels stuck in the subway grates or in
a pot whole. Some may say "Well skate boards have small wheels" this devices
wheels are smaller, and you don’t have the momentum from peddling to get you
over the bumps. And also its plain awkward without being "cool", like an
electric mountain board.

------
scoofy
I would get one of these for living in SF. It would make lots of otherwise
unwalkable neighborhoods perfectly accessible while only using it to go
uphill.

~~~
emeltzz
Alternatively just walk those neighborhoods and they won't feel unwalkable
very shortly! My 89 year old grandmother used to walk from her house in
Japantown to Chrissy Field and back, regularly--your legs get used to it and
suddenly the city feels a lot more accessible.

~~~
scoofy
If you're lucky enough to have good legs, yes. Many people get chronic
tendonitis after they move to hilly area of SF.

------
Sami_Lehtinen
Many of these are marketed online totally forgetting legal status. Meaning
that you can drive these only in closed areas. Using on public road is
illegal. Only devices legal are electrically assisted cycle or electric
registered scooters. Btw. Segways should become legal in Finland in 2016 what
kind of registration and insurances might be required isn't yet exactly known.

------
Maro
Would be great at airports!

~~~
jonsen
No, will never take off.

~~~
phragg
this comment is underrated.

~~~
jonsen
That kind of comment is a point dancer. 4 points at this moment. My guess is
11 up, and 8 down till now.

------
matthewrhoden1
When I saw the segway, I thought it was way weird and didn't like it. When I
saw this, I was a little excited about it. Funny how a small change in design
makes it seem cooler to me.

To the people worried about the gravel, since this guy is traveling over brick
side walks in the video (see 44 seconds in) I think it will do just fine on
normal side walks.

------
paulsutter
Its great to see so many new approaches. I'm the last person to know which
will catch on, but with all this variety we're likely to converge on the right
device.

The expensive lesson of the Segway: people don't want to look like a dork.
It's hard to quantify exactly but only mall cops look natural on a Segway.

~~~
bunderbunder
Also tourists wearing gaudily colored helmets.

------
tehwebguy
I want one of these so bad. The two wheel self balancing boards that are
popping right now are so cool and this looks way cooler.

That said, the current ones are heavy as hell because they are all battery,
I'm interested to know what the deal is with capacity / weight for this one.

~~~
adderhocker223
i think a lot of power gets wasted on self balancing. this things balancing
gets taken care of by the four wheels and frees the battery into pure
propulsion. also maybe it can recharge on downhill slopes, something a self
balancer cant do.

------
ChuckMcM
I suppose it isn't too surprising they don't have any clip longer than 10
seconds in that video.

Lets guess that it is going 1.5m/s (a bit more than 5km/hr or 3.3 mph which is
a brisk walking speed). And lets assume the typical rider is 75kg (about 165
lbs). that takes about a kW to get up to speed but you only need it once you
get to speed and it looks like it gets there quickly so over 3 seconds or so,
figure a 3k watt-seconds. Then driving along you're probably at 1/4 (really
efficient) to 1/2 (more typical) power covering rolling friction. (more if you
are going up hill [sin(grade) * mass]) so in that size "plate" you can get
maybe 10Wh of battery? That puts run times in the 60 - 70 seconds range.
Followed by a 30 - 90 minute charge cycle (depending on how aggressive you can
be)

I love the form factor and the concept, but we just don't have energy density
in our batteries yet AFAICT.

~~~
Dylan16807
My little laptop battery is 80Wh, and they could fit ten into that thing.

Edit: watching the video it's a bit thinner than I thought but I see no
problems with battery mass.

Edit 2:
[http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/12/panasonic-20091225.h...](http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/12/panasonic-20091225.html)
Look at these for example, they go in tesla packs and would provide enough
power by your calculations at about 1 liter and 5 pounds, and that thing can
definitely fit a liter.

~~~
ChuckMcM
Excellent, that is a pretty energy dense battery! I stand corrected, if they
are using something like this, it could work.

------
smoyer
As a youngster I rode a unicycle ... Now I want one of the self.balancing
motorized ones. The "transportation" device described in this article is
totally unappealing compared to both powered and unpowered skateboards.

------
rocky1138
Serpentza (Winston Sterzel) covered these things from Shenzhen a month or so
ago. Take a look.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGWR-
KQlEBs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGWR-KQlEBs)

~~~
crusso
That's a different product.

~~~
rocky1138
It's true, it looks to be better in every respect (especially price). The only
downside to the Chinese electric unicycle is the size (the Japanese one fits
in a backpack).

------
revelation
And promptly face plant at any kind of pothole. These wheels are _tiny_.

~~~
jbpadgett
Agreed. As a 20 year+ street skateboarder, I can tell you that even with
larger and softer urethane (85-90A) wheels, a pebble the size of a tic tac
will send you to ground rapidly. The key is to over time develop skills of
controlling weight on your board. I suppose this design could be modified
some, but more likely that the driver/rider will need to learn some skills
from skateboarders :)

~~~
maxxxxx
I have a piece of titanium in my orbital bone from when I ran over a little
rock when inline skating. If this thing hits a rock you'll go flying. Really
hard.

~~~
tinco
Where really hard is 10kmph.

------
JoeAltmaier
No speed control? That is critical - when walking in a crowd, we change speed
and direction constantly to respond to opportunities. Without speed control,
this thing can only work on open ground.

------
bobajeff
I want one just so I can glide around dressed as M. Bison at Dragon Con.

------
phragg
What is up with all of these new motorized transportation things? They seem to
be coming all out of the woodworks lately. Gone are the days of walking,
seemingly.

------
MrBuddyCasino
It looks like he's riding a MacBook. Looks kind of... dorky. They should
design this as a Skateboard, and it might just take off.

------
rayrivera
Great idea. If only the malls would allow me to stand and cruise while my wife
shops. I'd me that much happier.

------
holychiz
cool concept. Put handle on it like a scooter and my Mom got a new way to get
around. Oh wait, clearly, I wasn't thinking big enough. Add self-steering with
collision avoidance on this deck and now you can stare at your phone the
entire way from the train to the office. Google, are you listening?

------
almog
Looks like the motorized version of Apple's Magic Trackpad to me.

------
jmount
skateboard

------
unicornporn
First exactly look gravel friendly.

------
NDizzle
We're fatter than ever and people are creating ways to be even more fat.

Humanity! F Yeah!

