> (have you ever tried the joystick control on an electric wheelchair?)

I have, and they suck. But the main reason they suck is because they've been neutered so they're useable for a wider range of people.

Many people who use electric wheelchairs also have problems with fine motor control, seizures, etc. so the joystick has a lot of filtering with associated slow response and staggered acceleration.

I know people in wheelchairs who otherwise had no problems with fine motor skills that had electronically-minded friends help them to upgrade the chairs and replace the control unit. Those wheelchairs go fast after some modding.

>Those wheelchairs go fast after some modding. //

Wheelchairs usually occupy the same space as pedestrians - this was a big failing with the Segway, they're not allowed on pavements (aka sidewalks) - in the UK at least - as they're powerful and relatively heavy vehicles. Presumably at least a part of the design is to protect the wheelchair users surroundings and people nearby.

In Copenhagen it's become semi-standard that motorized wheelchairs / mobility scooters go in the bike lane instead of on sidewalks, which means it's reasonable for them to go at a higher speed [1]. This obviously wouldn't work until you have a citywide infrastructure of fairly wide bike lanes, though.

[1] http://www.copenhagenize.com/2008/02/elderly-mobility-in-cop...

I agree and I think the cool factor comes from the fact that users of Ogo need it in order to move without their hands being tied up and also that it actually takes a bit of muscle effort to operate. Compare to Segways, which are associated with laziness (at least in my mind).

Segways are cool. Don't have one but I got a chance to test it once.

I can see how they could be useful for things like malls and factory floors, in a similar way a kick scooter is. But you know what? Kick scooter is even cooler! The speeds you can achieve on a good concrete surface are exhilarating!

From the outside, powered monowheel seem cooler and less obnoxious than segways. The speed of some of them seems utterly ridiculous though (some brands/models are quoted at 20mph)

No, no they don't seem cooler. They actually trigger a grade school tripping reflex making others want to stick out their foot and topple the rider.

People sometimes behave like douchebags. This is probably the same phenomenon that leads some to call users of another piece of technology "glassholes".

You can do pretty impressive stunts with a kick scooter too!

Yes - I think you've identified the reason, they're actively involved. And it's not just cool, using the core muscles is pretty important, as he mentioned.

Perhaps the best thing is that able-bodied people will feel jealous when they see it.

Not just your mind.

http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html

"Someone riding a motorcycle isn't working any harder [than someone riding a Segway]."

TIL that Paul Graham has never ridden a motorcycle.

When riding a motorcycle, your left hand is used for clutch control, your right hand is used for both front brake and throttle control, your left foot is used to shift and your right foot controls the rear brake. Your arms control the front wheel's angle, which creates lean, and balance must be maintained by your whole body at all times:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysQThqrpI1c#t=0m40s

Motorcycling is hard work; thus the multitude of fitness regimens for motorcyclists:

- https://rideapart.com/articles/introductory-strength-trainin...

- http://trackdayfitness.com/

- http://www.soundrider.com/archive/tips/motorcyclist-workout....

- http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/the-motorcycle-wor...

- http://www.sportrider.com/fitness-motorcyclists

Riding motorcycle is not as hard as you make it out to be. Unless you're riding liter class or riding it in track, you don't need fitness regimen (see obese Harley riders for instance). Sure all your hands and legs have assigned jobs and the body as a whole maintains balance, but it is certainly way less demanding than say riding a bicycle. When you control clutch, all you're doing is closing your fist. This is true for all the other things you listed. I'm not saying riding a motorcycle isn't hard, but it is not that much harder than riding a bicycle for a normal person.

Source: Rode various motorcycles for ~10 years.

Although I would agree that motorcycling is harder than Segway(ing), I would not say motrocycling is _that_ physically intense[0]. I would argue a bicycle requires more fitness ability then a motorcycle.

Ofcourse, even driving a car in a competitive manner requires good fitness.

[0] Rode a sports bike for many years and attended multiple days of track school and visits to the track.

> Segway, which could make even the coolest person look like a mall cop.

That's an curious association - I assume this is because only mall cops (and tourists) tend to use it nowadays? :).

Also Mall Cop.

http://bit.ly/1hNdlIx

Missed that one. Thanks!

It does avoid bearing the medical equipment tag, the old tech metal cruft, disabled .. none of that comes to mind when I saw the video. It might help everybody forget about the condition and start acting normal again.

It feels slightly unsafe though, just a bit.

> It feels slightly unsafe though, just a bit.

To me, this is part of the appeal. Abled folks get to do all sorts of slightly unsafe things: skateboarding, motorcycling, etc. Why should disabled folks be tied to ultra-regulated, super-safe electric wheelchairs with absurdly slow governors?

The edgy vibe is what makes this cool (for me). I'm allowed to choose to ride a motorcycle (which could leave me stranded / kill me / etc). Disabled folks should also be allowed to choose their own calculated risks.

Uh, because you don't have legs in case of a bad thing, and even though disabled people may have strong arms after using wheelchairs, and a strong spirit, it's still far more risky for them. What if the person break a wrist or an arm and can't move with the remaining one ?

That's why it's called risk. An able-bodied person can injure themselves by taking risks just the same. Why should disabled persons be subject to limitations decided by someone else that are designed for the lowest common denominator? That's the only question being brought up here.

Alright, they're adult and can take responsibility for their decisions, I didn't want to imply I was taking this away from them.

> "It does avoid bearing the medical equipment tag"

In my mind, that's a huge negative, because it makes it a lot harder to get insurance to even partially cover the cost.

Very good point. It would be sad if the medical world stays too dogmatic, because a device that makes you wanna live is as important as a safe vehicle. At least I believe that's it's a win for everybody, that person may be far proactive mentally, physically[1] and socially; lessening the load on their close ones, and maybe other related bills like pain pills or other treatments.

[1] I buy the argument of being constantly trying to balance. These sets of muscle are rarely trained yet very very impact-ful on both body and mood.

The iBOT didn't find a market, probably at least partly because of FDA regulation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBOT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_device#Class_III:_Gene...

My anecdotal opinion is that insurance is unlikely to cover anything above the basic wheelchair anyways. I wonder if those looking for light weight, highly active wheelchairs, like those used for sports (basketball, tennis etc) are paid for out of pocket anyways.

I did find myself wondering about whether it should have a seatbelt.

You'd probably need to ask a regular wheelchair user, though. Do wheelchair basketballers use seatbelts?

I don't think they can generate even half the torque of this, and the balance point is different. Maybe something half way between a belt and nothing at all. Just enough to slow you down if case you're about to fly off.

Maybe not. This one seems to have some kind of control loop for steering, probably based on contact forces. The control loop surely is designed to catch you and keep you upright before the contact force gets too low, no matter how hard you try to break. (As opposed to a joystick-based break.) But sure, it won't prevent you from driving into an obstacle.