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All Segway scooters recalled
Posted: 2003-09-26 03:39pm
by theski
http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/4120783.html
WASHINGTON -- The maker of the Segway Human Transporter has agreed to recall the motorized scooters because riders have been injured falling off when its batteries are low.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall Friday, saying that three people had been injured. One suffered a head wound and needed stitches.
The recall involves about 6,000 of the single-rider, two-wheeled scooters that can travel up to 12 mph. The scooter uses gyroscopes to keep it upright, making it less likely to fall or be knocked over.
But the CPSC said that scooters being operated with low battery power may not have enough power to remain upright, causing the rider to fall.
Well back to the drawing boards........
Posted: 2003-09-26 03:45pm
by fgalkin
I've seen a few Segways in NYC. They actually looked quite cool.
I've theoretized that if I owned one, I would be able to use it to get to college and back, without walking a single step:
1) Use it to move around my apartment.
2) Take the elevator down to the lobby.
3) Take it to Port Imperial
4) Get on a ferry to NYC.
5) Once in NYC go up to 68 St and Lexington Avenue.
6) Use elvevators to move around the campus.
The ultimate lazy man device.
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin
Posted: 2003-09-26 03:50pm
by darthdavid
But you'd still be standing up the whole time.
Posted: 2003-09-26 04:02pm
by HemlockGrey
The Segway is the most disappointing invention ever.
Posted: 2003-09-26 04:06pm
by The Cleric
I thought they were cool looking. Impractical, but cool.
Posted: 2003-09-26 04:18pm
by aphexmonster
ill take a good ol' skateboard thankyou very much ... its funny that people fall down and hurt themselves all the time on those but nobody recalls a skateboard.
Posted: 2003-09-26 04:30pm
by SAMAS
HemlockGrey wrote:The Segway is the most disappointing invention ever.
Yeah, that was some dumb SHT...
Posted: 2003-09-26 04:32pm
by YT300000
Posted: 2003-09-26 04:42pm
by Montcalm
Screw Segway we want rocket-pack.
Posted: 2003-09-26 05:53pm
by StimNeuro
Wasn't Segway advertised as 'It' and was so hyped up that it was supposed to change the way we live?
Posted: 2003-09-26 05:58pm
by Darth Garden Gnome
Still, you can't blame it on the company that people are driving around on low-powered vehicles. It's like a medical IV: if you're trusting your life to it, you damn well better make sure it's charged.
Posted: 2003-09-26 06:02pm
by Crazy Goji
Montcalm wrote:Screw Segway we want rocket-pack.
Exactly. People don't want to stand up riding some crazy-assed scooter, they want to fly.
Posted: 2003-09-26 06:46pm
by Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi
The Segway is pretty much impractical. If you're too fat and lazy to walk around yourself, then you're probably too heavy to ride it.
Posted: 2003-09-26 06:59pm
by Gil Hamilton
While I don't care much for the Segway, out of 6000 segways out there they've only had three injuries with no fatalties? That makes them safe than cars!
Posted: 2003-09-26 07:04pm
by Montcalm
Gil Hamilton wrote:While I don't care much for the Segway, out of 6000 segways out there they've only had three injuries with no fatalties? That makes them safe than cars!
I think its like for the lawn dart,one accident and everything is pulled off the market.
Posted: 2003-09-26 07:09pm
by Sea Skimmer
Gil Hamilton wrote:While I don't care much for the Segway, out of 6000 segways out there they've only had three injuries with no fatalties? That makes them safe than cars!
Most deaths and injuries with cars are the result of driver error or a collision, not a flaw in the product.
Posted: 2003-09-26 07:10pm
by Spanky The Dolphin
StimNeuro wrote:Wasn't Segway advertised as 'It' and was so hyped up that it was supposed to change the way we live?
I don't think it was really advertised much at all, considering how much they cost and how firmly inside the "rich man's toy" niche it is.
The Segway's inventor is the one that personally thinks it has such revolutionary potential.
Personally, I think kind of neat, but I remember watching
The Tonight Show about a year and a half ago and Jay Leno was just nuts about them.
Posted: 2003-09-26 07:14pm
by Spanky The Dolphin
Montcalm wrote:Gil Hamilton wrote:While I don't care much for the Segway, out of 6000 segways out there they've only had three injuries with no fatalties? That makes them safe than cars!
I think its like for the lawn dart,one accident and everything is pulled off the market.
Lawn Darts had more than one accident attributed to them, and you have to admit that throwing giant metal darts that are actually sharp around probably wasn't the best idea for a family game. And lawn darts weren't just taken off the market: they're nationally banned by law.
Posted: 2003-09-26 07:16pm
by Gil Hamilton
Sea Skimmer wrote:Most deaths and injuries with cars are the result of driver error or a collision, not a flaw in the product.
It's not a flaw with the product. It says that it becomes unsafe when the battery runs out of power. This is like saying that a car becomes unsafe when it runs out of gas.
Besides, look at the Pinto. It alone killed more people due to massive design flaws (IE, became a firebomb on wheels at the drop of a hat) than the Segway ever could have.
Posted: 2003-09-26 07:20pm
by Sea Skimmer
Gil Hamilton wrote:
It's not a flaw with the product. It says that it becomes unsafe when the battery runs out of power. This is like saying that a car becomes unsafe when it runs out of gas.
When a car runs out of gas it slows to a halt, with the Segway the issue is it stop at once without warning and sends the rider flying.
Posted: 2003-09-26 08:41pm
by Gil Hamilton
Sea Skimmer wrote:When a car runs out of gas it slows to a halt, with the Segway the issue is it stop at once without warning and sends the rider flying.
If by flying, makes them stumble a bit and have to hop off, then, yes, it makes them fly.
Posted: 2003-09-27 12:15am
by Pu-239
http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-5082886.html
Apparently the fix is a simple software update, as is also mentioned from the article in the first post.
Posted: 2003-09-27 12:48am
by Kuja
Gil Hamilton wrote:Sea Skimmer wrote:When a car runs out of gas it slows to a halt, with the Segway the issue is it stop at once without warning and sends the rider flying.
If by flying, makes them stumble a bit and have to hop off, then, yes, it makes them fly.
What's the top speed of these things?
Posted: 2003-09-27 12:53am
by Spanky The Dolphin
About 10 MPH, or brisk walking speed at least.
Posted: 2003-09-27 01:44am
by Howedar
10mph is a good run. Its by no means walking pace.
