Popular Science Article on Segway

[Poindexter]

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/auto/article/0,12543,232744,00.html

Mostly positive article from a postman who rode a Segway on his route.

I can't understand why it took him the same amount of time to deliver his route if he had to go back to his truck fewer times.

The sorting while walking doesn't make sence either considering that mail is sorted before the mailman leaves the post office.

It's either because he doesn't want to upset the union or he wanted to go faster than the 8 mph limit set on his Segway. He does say he likes it and would buy one.

[ziggystardust_]

The sorting dilemma has been brought up a few times in the press by postal people during these trial runs. It seems that mail is sorted 'to a point' at the postal office and final sorting has to be done by the mailpeople at the route itself.

Have you spoken to someone at the post office in order for you to make the statement that all sorting is done before the mailman leaves the office? If so that would be interesting information.

[Poindexter]

quote:Originally posted by ziggystardust_

The sorting dilemma has been brought up a few times in the press by postal people during these trial runs. It seems that mail is sorted 'to a point' at the postal office and final sorting has to be done by the mailpeople at the route itself.

Have you spoken to someone at the post office in order for you to make the statement that all sorting is done before the mailman leaves the office? If so that would be interesting information.


As I understand the procedure, mail is sorted at the post office and batched by address. The mailman then must "finger" the batches to pick out the mail for the address.

Seems to me that if a mailman can learn to do this while driving a truck he could learn to do it while riding a Segway.

[ftropea]

That issue of snow tires always peaks my interest...

I'm thinking there has to be some practical limit to the amount of snow you can effectively ride over. It's probably somewhere between 5 - 7 inches... the point where the platform begins to plow into the snow. Although, perhaps it's powerful enough to handle even more than that.

Or maybe there is another way of looking at it...

If you can't walk through it - you can't Segway through it! :)

- Frank

[charmed]

I dunno. I keep thinking about the dual, 2 hp. double-coiled motors. I'm wondering if they could handle larger diameter and wider wheels? Seems like a lot of power. With some gearing and software adjustments, I could imagine some serious winter fun!

[ftropea]

Yeah, no doubt there are powerful motors in the existing Segway-HTs. However, I'm under the impression that the consumer version will be somehow less powerful - less "industrial" - and will have to cut corners somewhere. Does it start with the motors? The batteries? What will account for the price gap between the consumer and commercial version?

- Frank

[charmed]

Good point, Frank. All we know about the difference in current models seems to be the difference in weight (roughly 20 lbs.), diameter of wheels, and overall size. One has to assume less power.

I guess what I was trying to get at is apparently, through its DS requirements, large amounts of torgue are part and parcel of the device and in a snow situation (less friction), larger diameter and heavier wheels might be a good fit. Safety requirements decrease (soft landing), and the terrain would present less overall strain on the systems.

I'm not suggesting any concrete plans, just that the design, as is, would seem to lend itself to such modifications.

[yop]

I think the batteries in the two models are different. NiCad vs. NiMH. So the consumer version will have considerably less range.

I don't think they can reduce the motors too much. The power is needed for braking and emergency maneuvers.

Back to the postmen: They probably couldn't sort and ride at the same time because Segway probably made them keep the mail in the briefcase-holders we've seen in pictures. It's just too awkward to lean that far down to sort and drive at the same time. Segway probably won't let the postmen carry the mail in shoulder bags, because they're afraid of accidents caused by the Segway reacting to a weight shift from an accidentally-swung, fully-loaded mailbag.