"IT" - The Infamous Ginger - Is Coming!

[Joubert[$]]

Remember the hype about the machine that would change the world? The one that Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs took such an interest in? Well, IT is coming on Monday, and ABC's Good Morning America is set to unveil the mystery.

Chasing IT

[pluckyduck]

Maybe 'cause Ginger was my mother's nickname, but something about this whole thing gets on my last nerve.

Sorry Mom.

Andrea

IT is at Time Magazine online.

http://www.time.com/

They have a semi-interactice thingy and an article with a lot of material about and from Dean Kamen.

[hypotenuse]

"How do I get one?"

Oh Man!

Gotta have one of these!

Lynne

[argonut]

I read the article about Ginger here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/03/te...gy/03THIN.html
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The best part about the article in my opinion is that it introduced me to an organization called Institute For The Future. Who knew?? What a cool place to work...


J

[Joubert[$]]

I want one too! But there goes the stepping club.

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

OK, did anyone see South Park two-three weeks ago? where the teacher, Mr. Garrison, invented a form of personal transportation to break the dependence on oil from the Middle East? and which he called "IT"?! Do those South Park guys know something we don't know?

mj

[lynnzop[$]]

I heard about Ginger on the radio this a.m.

Has anyone seen any pictures of it yet? I need a visual!!!

Lynn

[Joubert[$]]

Pics are up at CNN and the NY Times. I'm on the run now or I would dig out the links.

[lynnzop[$]]

Wow. Talk about "Now for something completely different."

Diagram of Ginger

$8000 for the first model is what I heard, and then $3000 in a couple of years.

Lynn

[kurt_messick]

Actually, we could use these at the seminary -- our hallways are long (sort of like walking airport concourses).

Neat, but I'm not sure it was the world-altering event it was being billed as prior to today.

[pageclot[$]]

How does someone keep from pitching forward or backward? I mean, there's only two wheels! It's not like a tricycle.

With a bicycle, you use your body to keep from falling off. I wonder if this is the same sort of thing, or whether these gyroscope thingies do that.

P

Originally posted by pageclot
How does someone keep from pitching forward or backward? I mean, there's only two wheels! It's not like a tricycle.

With a bicycle, you use your body to keep from falling off. I wonder if this is the same sort of thing, or whether these gyroscope thingies do that.

P

The Time article describes various attempts to knock people over and how the gyroscopes prevent that.

After the initial hype dies down, I'd love to see a practical demonstration of the bloody thing. And I'd have to try it myself just to see it in action. However, I've been writing up an entire list of how people in general are just too downright stupid to use these things properly, but then I applied the same list to cars and got extremely paranoid and depressed.

[drmomentum[$]]

I believe it uses a gyro to prevent you from falling over. By leaning forward or back you actually control the motion, because the gyro can sense your leaning. It sounds like a very interesting way to travel.

Unfortunately, I already intentionally spend hours every week TRYING to get exercise. Now, instead of walking I'm supposed to ride this thing? Sounds like DK is in league with the people who make Lipitor.

This is the anti-Stepper. It is a fat-increasing, inactivity-inducing device. Yes, people will love it and yes it looks like a lot of fun. Just the thing to take us back and forth to the doughnut shop.

-JP

[lynnzop[$]]

Originally posted by drmomentum
This is the anti-Stepper. It is a fat-increasing, inactivity-inducing device. Yes, people will love it and yes it looks like a lot of fun. Just the thing to take us back and forth to the doughnut shop.

-JP

My thoughts exactly when I read the article on msnbc.com.

But....

The article did say that the post office is looking into testing it for some mail carriers. Would also be good for pizza delivery, other delivery-type services. Hmm. Wonder if you could hook a little trailer on the back of it to haul stuff.

My other initial thought was "Where will the stupid things run?" On on the road? On sidewalks?

But I do agree with JP that this will be the death of stepping if it catches on. I need to be convinced that it will be more than just a novelty, however.

Lynn

[vania]

But... at 12 MPH, is this really practical in any sort of real-life scenario???

v.

There's interactive thingies up at:

http://www.segway.com/

Includes a movie showing people using these.

[nicholmere]

I wonder if it will be good for people who have difficulties walking and have to rely on others to keep them mobile. Sure looks more fun than walking on crutches.

I wonder too, Lynn, where, in the future, one would find them. If they were on the road they'd need a designated lane. It wouldn't be as safe as on the sidewalk (for them), but it would be better than trying to merge with the traffic.

I wonder what malls would make of them? So many places have "no skateboards" and "no rollerblades" signs.

[magenta321]

But malls have no problem with those old people wheelchair-scooter things. I see this more like those things.

I've never seen a postman on foot. They drive here. I think a $3000 or $8000 thing has to be cheaper than a mail jeep. But I think my mail would come even later, and it ranges between 1-6 pm here when I get my delivery, and if it came any later I'd go nuts!

Plus, even with the good battery they can only travel 11 miles. I think a lot of people live more than 11 miles from their post office, and if you consider that they have to get to your house and back... it sounds like a problem.

I am curious about the walking postman thing. I've lived in big cities, I've still never seen one. Is this if you live within a mile from the post office they walk to you? I figured it was more for the people working in the mailroom, standing on their feet all day.

The whole thing reminds me of the robots in the hospital I work at. These robots were originally tested in my hospital and cost a ton of money. They are now in places like the Pentagon. Their duty is to take things long distances. In my hospital its a very long walk between the cafeteria and .... well... anything good. So in my hosp they take trays of food to maternity, which is the other side of the earth, relatively speaking. Now, people who had to make that treck several times a day or people who worked in gvt agencies with similarly long trips from here to there would get a lot of use out of those buggers.

I know the novelty of the robots wore off at the hosp. They're like 15 yrs old and we are all well accustomed to them. The pts, however, never cease to be amazed by them.

[nicholmere]

Regarding postal service.

When I lived in Toronto the mail delivery system was similar to the way newspapers distribute their papers to the carriers. The mail is sorted in the post offices, then the vans take the day's mail and drives to all the pedestrian mailmen routes and locks each mailman's set of packages in a large green box. The mailmen then goes to their assigned boxes and take the packages as needed for each of their routes.

I remember when I first lived in VA Beach, I got quite a kick out of seeing mailmen zooming around in little cars, especially since I'd never seen anything but a walking mailman before.

[nicholmere]

Segway recalls all scooters due to software glitch

Trial tests revealed that the vehicles would unexpectedly reverse when users pushed the vehicle to its maximum speed of 19 kilometres per hour, tilted back to slow down and then tried to regain top speed immediately.

I guess that exact scenario would not happen very often, but being thrown into reverse at 19 KM/hr sound painful.

[lynnzop[$]]

I saw this today and thought of this thread too! I was really surprised when I saw the date was 5 years ago already.

[theworm[$]]

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