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View Full Version : Segway spill - a dog's perspective




ronzul
01-29-2004, 09:17 AM
Bow wow woof woof. My name is spotty, and I am a small furry white canine. A couple of days ago I was in my favourite park in Rushcutters Bay, when I saw the most unusual sight! This man was standing on some sort of scooter, riding around in the sun having a lot of fun [8D].

Well, you know me! I just absolutely love anything with wheels. Normally I must say I do prefer vehicles with four wheels, but with nothing else around something with just two wheels had to suffice. [8]So I gave chase. I ran like there was no tomorrow, as fast as my little legs would take me! Closer and closer to that funny looking vehicle.

Perhaps the man didn't like my barking, and tried to move away from me, so faster and faster I ran. I don't know what possessed me, but I just wanted to get closer to those nice round wheels. The man didn't know what to do, and in a split-second must have turned his device too quickly without leaning into the turn. He valiantly tried to stay on, but after a couple of seconds it was no use.

Man and vehicle went their separate ways. I was victorious! I have never had so much fun in my life! To claim my prize, I jumped on the man (now on the grass), and for good measure licked his face. :)The funny vehicle glided on into the sunset (well, okay, five or six metres), and then decided to lie down on the grass as well.

I can't wait to see them again!

PS: Spotty is not my real name. The man was not hurt, and was laughing that his first fall from his Segway was caused by a tiny little dog. It also made him question his reflexes. Why not slow down? Why not stop? But it does show that, in the heat of the moment it is easy to turn that little steering grip without thinking about leaning.

Shouldn't the speed of turning decrease as the Segway goes faster? what is the point of a machine that can turn at a rate when travelling quickly that is pretty much guaranteed to cause the rider to come off? the maximum turn rate should be speed dependent and set so that a person at maximum lean will stay on.

(Or is this already the case? Was it simply that I turned quickly without leaning ?)


---
Who said that you shouldn't get carried away on your Segway?




Zorba9
01-29-2004, 09:47 AM
Great story Ron! Sic-em Spotty! Chase that mean-old Segway down and chew the tires! Ron, any wild baby Roo's or Dingo's in your neighborhood? (of course all you folks "down-under" live like Crocodile Dundee and wrestle crocs like Steve the Croc man - just don't feed them your babies!) Can you swing your "didgery-doo" while segging? Will your boomerang come back to you if you are 50 meters forward while gliding? And most importantly, where do you plug in to recharge there in the Outback?-:)

KOG











Zorba9.....

dhugger
01-29-2004, 11:44 AM
Ron, great story!! Glad to see the dog just wanted to play. I've had one dog (a small one) actually bite my right tire.
In answer to your question, I think you just didn't lean enough. If you're turning full speed while traveling at full speed, you should actually be leaning to the point where your whole body is past your inner wheel:
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/turning.jpg
And yes, the turning speed does in fact decrease as speed increases. If you stand in place and turn full speed on the red key, it'll take you about 1.8 seconds for a complete rotation/revolution. If you're going 12.5 mph, it'll take you about 4 seconds.

Oh, and Zorba, it's not "Crocodile Dundee." It's Segadile Aychtee ;)

-Derek Hugger-

Sunday
01-29-2004, 11:44 AM
I can't wait to read the first post titled "A dingo ate my Segway!"

Segway-more fun than you can stand!

BruceWright
01-29-2004, 03:07 PM
Turning one way and mistakenly leaning the other, or not enough, or too much, can happen.

Here was my system:

I started off with the black, and didn't upgrade to yellow until I wasn't making wrong-way lean bobble turn mistakes. Once I did that, I did it again with yellow befoere graduating to red.

Any time I made any mistakes, I took it as a sign that I needed to slow down for a few miles at least, and get more practice.

Sometimes I would just practice doing carving turns in the driveway, just to get the feel of leaning and Segwaying together. Now I'm a pro, and I never make those mistakes!

-Bruce Wright

Segway: Vehicle of Dream

TiVoAussie
01-29-2004, 11:09 PM
Good one Ronny, glad you're not hurt!

I know Rushcutters Bay pretty well, I was a Bondi Lad when I lived in Sydney! I used to go bowling there, is the bowling alley still there?

I found out today that the Disability Discrimination Commissioner is "aware" of Segways, (he mentioned them in a speech)... I've emailed him seeking assistance!

Battling on!

Ron


There are a little over six thousand Segway owners!
There are a little over six billion people in the world!
I'm one in a million! :)

dgbint
01-30-2004, 02:01 AM
Hi Ronny

Sorry to hear that you had a spill.
However I am glad to know that not much harm was done.
Rushcutters Bay is such a nice spot too.

I find that the biggest 'danger' with Seg'ing is overconfidence. The only times I have come close to a face-plant were when I was going a bit faster than prudent.
Also with new learners, who reckon they know it all after about 90 seconds training. They seem to want to try and tempt fate.

Michael

ronzul
01-30-2004, 08:38 AM
I would be more than happy to say that it was me being overconfident. But when the dog came closer to the wheels, it was just a reflex response to turn... my reflexes knew how to quickly turn the steering grip, but not how to quickly lean into turns.

If I was in the same situation again, I think it would be better to slow down or stop. The dog would come up to me, and after a while presumably get bored (not implying that I'm boring or anything). I could then go off at a slow pace.

The other alternative is to train myself to quickly change directions at speed. After over a month of strong daily use, this was the first time I needed to.

Thanks for all your comments and photos and information. I had been planning to go up to Kakadu and wrestle with crocodiles from the safety of my p series, but after this incident I'm having second thoughts.

Cheers
Ronny

---
Who said that you shouldn't get carried away on your Segway?

EricNR
02-01-2004, 10:10 AM
Maybe you should have stopped, turned around, and went after him! Man and dog play chicken! Some loud snarling and barking might help also :)

pkradd
02-01-2004, 03:36 PM
Arf.... arf.... grrrrr..... arf, arf!

BruceWright
02-01-2004, 03:41 PM
Ronzul,

my reflexes would never make that mistake.

Why?

Because my wrist never turns. My wrist stays still, and my body leans to make my turns. That way, it's not two motions that I'm coordinating, but one motion, all the time.

Just a suggestion.

-Bruce Wright

Segway: Vehicle of Dream