Forwarded from a friend. I think he's on to something, sort of, but
the margins are too narrow this morning for me to comment. Maybe later.
MMB
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Letter ot Economist Editor: "Is that IT?"
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 08:11:19 -0800
From: Dan Lynch <dan@sp3d.com>
To: letters@economist.com
Letter to the Editor
"Is that IT?"
Dec 6th 2001
Dear Sirs & Madams,
Regarding your story "Is that IT?" while I share the Economist's view
that the Segway Human Transporter might merely be a glorified motor
scooter, and Kamen is a bit immodest in its potential, I believe that
there are aspects to the machine that were overlooked in the article.
The Segway is exciting not because it is a locomotion device for a
human. It is exciting because it comes to the high technology
industry at a time when innovation has achieved something of a flat
line, if not a decline in some circles. The Segway is important
because it is a portent to the future of the man-to-machine
interface, based on movement and bodily influences.
The real innovation of the Segway is that, even if illusory, the
device adopts the rider's sense of balance, and transparently
translates it to mechanized locomotion. The Segway has an operating
system that is dedicated to the task of physically extending a
person's ability to stand and walk. It is an operating system that is
married not only to the rider's subtle movements and sense of
balance, but responsive to an array of gyroscopes, interpreting and
responding to motion and balance data in real time.
The idea of creating a new operating system with the powerful and
ever cheaper processors of our day devoted to extending the human
physical experience is very exciting. Computing innovation should not
merely be relegated to the desktop, or these days, the palm-top. The
heart of computing innovation lies in its promise to extend the human
experience of the world by presenting opportunity in the most
transparent, unobtrusive way possible, the true mark of effective
human interfacing technology.
Trying to imagine how Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop or a
palm-held organizer with a cell phone will further develop in the
next 5 to 10 years does not elicit imagining the great arc of
innovation to come. Yes, these tools will incrementally improve and
move forward; however, the ground breaking changes ahead in the area
of computing will most certainly lie in technologies far beyond the
desktop and palm-top, extending the human experience to the outside
world. Segway is a shining example of how the innovations to come
will come from unexpected quarters.
Although it is just a scooter, the technological arc of innovation
that is driving the Segway has a long incline ahead. People who use
the Segway love it. Yes, just a scooter, but one that somehow "knows"
you. Computing magic to be sure. The Macintosh generated similar user
enthusiasm, and debuted at a similar price point. Today, you can
stuff a box with 10 high speed processors and a handful of
gyroscopes, working in consort with a custom O.S. to deliver a
real-time response to a user's unspoken, un-typed, un-moused physical
gestures---creating mechanical locomotion that "feels" natural. How
this technology with play out and spread into other applications
seems at least as boundless as the Mac in 1984.
DAN LYNCH
San Francisco, California
10 December 2001
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Is that IT?
Dec 6th 2001
An invention that will "revolutionise" transport has been unveiled
http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=895428
IN SOME quarters, it was hailed as a revolutionary advance in
personal transport, with the potential even to replace the car. The
electrically driven, single-rider device from a noted inventor would
cut pollution and herald the dawn of a new era of transport. The date
was 1985: the product, an electric "tricycle", the Sinclair C5.
This week an electric, two-wheeled "scooter" called the Segway Human
Transporter was unveiled with similar fanfare. It weighs 36kg,
travels at a maximum speed of 20km an hour, and has a range of 27km
on a single charge of its battery.
For all the fuss made so far about this device-also known as Ginger
or "IT"-its main innovation is a prosaic one: its ability to stay
upright. It does this by using a set of five sensors that measure its
motion in all three dimensions, and also its angle of tilt to the
horizontal. These sensors report their results to a computer that
controls the wheels 100 times a second, and the wheels then move so
as to keep the platform level.
Thus, when Segway tilts forward, the wheels turn faster to stop it
toppling over. If the forward movement is too rapid, they slow down,
or even go into reverse. This means that Segway can move over rough
terrain, travel up low kerbs and even follow its rider up a staircase
like a faithful hound. Riders will, though, fall off if they hit a
high enough kerb. And Segway has no brakes.
Dean Kamen, Segway's inventor, is not exactly modest about his
device. He claims it is "the first real improvement on walking since
the invention of the sandal". Where the wheel, the bicycle, the car
and the roller-skate fit into Dr Kamen's world view is unclear.
Segway may prove popular for getting around airports, warehouses and
museums, or for stealing bags and snatching wallets. But whether it
will become the mass-market device that its inventor hopes remains to
be seen. It is open to the elements, the rider has to stand and
(horror) there is nowhere to put the stereo and sub-woofer systems.
The retail version should be available late next year and is likely
to cost $3,000. Or you could buy a second-hand C5.
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