| Michael Leone on Mon, 3 Dec 2001 19:32:03 -0500 |
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On Mon, 2001-12-03 at 18:19, Adam Turoff wrote: > On Mon, Dec 03, 2001 at 05:19:40PM -0500, gabriel rosenkoetter wrote: > > Neat technology, incredibly stupid application. > > > > Where are the wheel chairs for quadraplegics? The industrial-sized > > carts that follow their master without his or her pulling, without > > wasting fuel? > > Um, this is an application of the same technology used to make the > six-wheeled self-balancing wheelchair that can go up and down stairs. > > It just so happens that there are more bipeds on the planet than paraplegics. > Ergo, the potential for ginger is much larger than improved wheelchairs. > Especially in sub-saharan africa, where a 12mph gadget that uses $0.05 of > power each day is much more important than a $100 ankle-breaking razor scooter. And how many sub-Saharan Africans can afford the estimate $3K US price? Mind you, the web article talked about utilizing it in cities in the NE USA. And do what - run over the people on the sidewalk, or get run over on the roads with the cars? Get soaked in the rain or freeze in the cold - the thing looks like a scooter, after all I agree - the technology is pretty cool; the application - as a scooter-look-alike aimed at urban areas - is a bit not-too-well thought-out. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael J. Leone Registered Linux user #201348 <mailto:turgon@mike-leone.com> ICQ: 50453890 AIM: MikeLeone PGP Fingerprint: 0AA8 DC47 CB63 AE3F C739 6BF9 9AB4 1EF6 5AA5 BCDF PGP public key: <http://www.mike-leone.com/~turgon/turgon-public-key.gpg> Foreman, roving paving crew, Dept. of Roads, Hades. Attachment:
pgpRTRg97oAs3.pgp
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