Segway Scooter

Essay by Jak19High School, 12th gradeA-, February 2006

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The Segway Scooter is a technologically advanced way of transportation. It uses the principles of the human body and applies them to a mechanical tool that works much like the human body and allows us to use machines in replace of our legs as a form of transportation. The scooter is composed of four main parts that are; the solid-state gyroscopes, tilt sensors, high-speed microprocessors, and powerful electric motors. These four components replace the four main parts of our body that allow us to walk or run. The parts they replace are as follows; inner ear, muscles, and our brain. The gyroscopes and the tilt sensors are much like the inner ear of a human. They detect pitch and angles from which the scooter is off balance, they send that message to the high-speed microprocessors - the brain - that send the information of how to correct this imbalance to the motors.

The motors then act like your muscles and they propel the scooter forward or backward to correct this imbalance.

When a person is standing perfectly upright you don't normally move forward or backwards. When a person leans either forward, or backwards, their legs instinctively move out to prevent them from falling over. This happens because the fluid in your inner ear moves and your brain knows that you are off balance. The more you lean the faster your legs move out. For example, if you lean a lot you will jog or run and if you lean slightly you will walk. The exact same principle is applied to the Segway Scooter. The more you lean the faster you will go. Segway calls this process dynamic stabilization.

Although the Segway Scooter is capable of reaching speeds of 12.5 mph (approx. 5.6m/s) it is fairly safe when used...