Ever been thrown off or emergency shut downs?

[gracefuli]

Hi- i am considering buying a gen 1. I have MS and my family has heard that people get thrown off; my local dealer talked about needing to be able to get off in 10seconds if it has an emergency shut down (also why he doesn't recommend using a seat). How often do things like this occur?? and do people use a seat? thanks for the feedback!!

[DaveA]

How often do [emergency shutdowns] occur??

One of my i2s was delivered with a bug that caused emergency shutdowns at about 50% battery discharge. A warranty replacement fixed that, and I've got 1400 miles and seven months since then without a hiccup. So I wouldn't say that emergency shutdowns are common at all.

[dgbint]

Hello

Welcome to this site.
Your question should get lots of answers, and hopefully they will assist you to make an informed choice.

A Segway is designed to be an inherently safe device, with duplicate back-up systems, to ensure maximum safety.
Thus it is more like an aircraft in design than say a car.
It is very safe, but nothing in life is 100% safe.

A Segway has a sophisticated power monitor, showing you the user how much power is left in your batteries.
If you run down towards the low end, there is a series of warnings.
If you go right down to the last warning, yes your PT will overide your wish to continue ( knowing it doesn't have enough power ) and it will come to halt, issue you a 'growling' warning and you will have 10 seconds to get off before it will shut down.

If this is a problem for you, then a suggestion is don't try and use the full range.
Take a break, at say 1/4 power left, have a cup of tea, coffee and charge it up again.

Yes, there are some other fault conditions, when a similar scenario to very low battery will bring the machine to a halt and give you a brief time, about 10 seconds, to get off.
These are rare, but there is a chance that you could encounter one of them.

Getting on and off a Segway PT is similar to ascending or descending a single stair.
If you can do this, you are a candidate for using a Segway.
If you are unable to do this, you may or may not be a candidate.

The best advice is to seek a test glide.
Any dealer or perhaps even a nearby owner should be able to assist you.

Good Luck
Michael

[wwhopper]

Operator error causes more falls than the Segway shutting down.

But if it does happen, you do have to be ready, willing and able to get off.

The question to answer, is can you handle a fall? And if you did fall off the PT, how bad a fall could you take?

No matter what your ablities are, like anything, you can have an accident. You just have to be ready for that at all times, and able to make a quick decision and be quick enough to avoid getting hurt.

[Tarkus]

Hello and welcome.

I am an Incomplete Paraplegic and I have used my Segway with a some sort of seat for the last 2 years and have yet to have had an emergency shutdown, and I use my Segways everyday.

It has been my experience that to get "thrown off" you first must make a mistake. The Segway has thrown few people on its own.

That being said there is always the possibility of anything mechanical to fail, car plane etc.
You must make a risk/reward decision. It differs from one person to another.

You also must have the physical and mental abilities to operate one. It's not hard but its also not for every person with a disability.

Please also visit www.DRAFT.org for more information and on the Segway and people with disabilities.


Be Big,
Alan

[Suzined]

Yes, the Segway is pretty much fool proof...unfortunately most of us are not fools. Ergo, most accidents are pilot error. I've had three spills in the last year, all pilot error. The only one that even came close to being the Segway's fault was when I left my home on top of a hill with a fully charged set of batteries. When the machine told me it wanted to go into reduced performance (to get rid of the excess electrical power) I tried to over-ride it. When I got the stick shake I just stood there (for about ten seconds) with my mouth open. (The mud alongside the road was quite soft and deep--but cold) So, don't be pushing the envelope. My other lapses of judgment include wandering around construction sites (make sure passages between lumber stacks are at least twenty-two and a scooch inches wide) and going down a steep, slippery woodland path where I high-centered on protruding roots (and promptly "bottomed" out). Still, except for pilots error I'd say my i180 is very safe.

I have a severe loss of balance and cannot walk more than about 100 feet. The Segway has radically improved my life; been a tremendous psychological boost!

[gracefuli]

This has all been very helpful- i'm ready to buy! Suzined do u use a seat?

[Suzined]

No, I don't need a seat. I can stand on the Segway for up to an hour and a half without a seat. Since I have an i180 the rigid control stick gives me just enough stability that my balance problems are not a factor. I haven't tried a Gen2 but I suppose I should, it might be alright and if I haven't tried how would I know?

[jgbackes]

I have a seat on my 180. Most of the time I stand, I have a 15 mile commute from home and standing all that time is very hard on my back. I now sit down when I come to red lights, it helps a lot. The seat I have will only work on the old gen 1 segways, it's call a SegSeat. I think their website is www.segseat.com.

[jehemer]

I also have MS and have since 01. Last year I purchased a segway and love it. It is so uplifting to be able to go places that otherwise would be impossible. Shopping with my wife and two teenage girls or to their school events is a breeze. I purchased ramps for loading and unloading it but found that at 80+ pounds it's just as easy for two people to lift it in and out of our Honda Pilot. I really appreciate the design because it gives me exercise vs sitting on my arse at belt buckle height and I can see what's going on. Completely accepted everywhere I have gone but be ready to answer questions about it. I had the option of the i2 or the i180 when I purchased mine and I went with the i180 because of the added stability of the handle bar post. I tried the i2 but really didn't give it a fair shake so that could very well be a biased opinion. I use a cane to walk and fashioned a velcro strap to secure it to the upright, works well.
One drawback is travel. By car it's a snap but can't travel by plane, Li-ion battery problems. I have been to a couple of locations where I was able to rent a segway, 150$/day. It would be nice if there was a program where if you own a segway there would be a cut rate to rent. Maybe some day. I rented one when we went to Disney World and used it around the resort area but not in the theme parks themselves. When asked I did acknowledge right away that I knew segways weren't allowed and the cart rental folks let me park it with them, safe and secure, and gave me a electric cart to use free of charge. No problem taking it on the transfer busses, to the resturants etc.
Overall very manuverable, much much better that the carts and I have never had any problems around Kansas City taking it anywhere. Absolutely an incredable piece of engineering.

[jehemer]

After rereading your initial post I realized I didn't answer any of your questions. I don't use a seat thought about it but it impacts the eloquence of the design, the rental unit in Orlando did have a cushioned mat that was nice. Battery life is fine for all day activities and keeping it charged is not a problem. I have never had it shut down on me and have taken a spill twice. Once on hedge apples where I got up on one and it rolled under the tire and once on a muddy slope. Both time I knew I was pushing the envelope on traction. Otherwise as long as it maintaine traction it will go up any slope you could walk up including irregular trails at cross country meets.

[jgbackes]

I also have MS and have since 01. Last year I purchased a segway and love it. It is so uplifting to be able to go places that otherwise would be impossible. Shopping with my wife and two teenage girls or to their school events is a breeze. <snip> Absolutely an incredible piece of engineering.

I noticed you live in KC, can you talk a little about getting around in the extremely cold winters and high humidity summers.

I lived in KC for 15 years and just can't imagine being able to use it year-round.

jeff

[gracefuli]

thanks all for the input- with your help and info i was able to make decisions and last weekend i purchased a "previously loved" i167. I like the stabilty of the stationary control shaft and with the Ni batteries i should be able to take with me on airline travel.

jehemer u mentioned that you found a way to easily attach your cane. Can you tell me more or post a picture?

Thannk you all- any tiips for a new user with MS (or new useer in general)??

[polo_pro]

Thannk you all- any tiips for a new user with MS (or new useer in general)??

Take is slow...and even after a week when you're still starting to feel confident, take it slow for the rest of the month. Then after another month, get your polo mallet and find out that you can still can have fun playing sports!

ps - Before anyone gets their nose bent out of joint, do realize that we've had folks play polo who've had pretty advanced cases of MS. And you should have seen the look of joy in their face!

[Suzined]

I've always thought the pilots that kill themselves are not student pilots, but those that have recently gotten their wings. You know, those with just enough knowledge to fly but not enough experience to fly safely. I think the same goes for gliding.

I recommend taking a cell phone along in case of "untoward events".

[jehemer]

I've had my Segway a year but last winter I would take it out. Not when it was below say +20F or below or if there was slop on the streets but that's not often. The heat of the summers is worse because of my condition. I'm not sure the effects of the cold on battery life. Put some cycling gloves on for better touch, make sure you have solid traction and go play.

Rim rock this weekend baby, big state XCountry meet and my daughter informed me the school paper wants to talk to this "sack of suds" about his hot ride. Too :cool: to believe.

[jehemer]

Here's what I did to hold my cane.
The strip type velcro that has hooks on one side and loops on the other. ACE hardware has it, it's about 3/4" wide. Wrap the control shaft once around to form a attachment collar on the shaft just above the base of the shaft. I put the loop side in so it;s soft on the finish. With a second strip of the velcro make a loop about 1" I.D. and attach that to the collar. A little hot glue to hold it firm and you have the bottom holder.

Repeat the collar further up and attach a strip of velcro to it but make this strip long enough to easly go around the cane. A little trial and error.

Then I slide my cane thru the bottom loop with the end resting on the foot pad and loop the top velcro strip over and attach to the collar. Simple and clean.

[gracefuli]

It sounds great- i had done a top collar, with a matching criss-cross collar on the cane, but it just wasn't secure enough (family was sure that it would slip off the platform, get wedged between front of platform and the ground, cause a wheel spin and make me fall off!) Annd yet they're usually optiimists! thanks- i

[jehemer]

I haven't had any problems and in fact if you have a bag fro the front, highly recommended, it has a loop at the base which makes the top assembly unneccessary