Segways are great for getting around, but what about for work? Segways look like highly evolved push mowers anyway! Why not marry the 2 tegether. You would have a silent mower, the better type, not the regular type you see everyday, but the original, the spinning-every-blade-is-a-scissors type. Push mowers may be unpopular for the whole "push" reason. Let the segway push.
Put 3 of these on a segway centaur and watch the grass fly.
Clean lawn care. Silent. Doesn't rely on gasoline.-- twitch, Jun 09 2007 Lawnmower scooter http://www.yankodes...y-vicky-petihovski/Interesting related idea - not clear if this is a product or an idea [hippo, Mar 19 2010] Might not use gasoline but there's probably an oil/coal-fired power plant involved. Still, it's quiet and there is no exhaust. Now what about edging and weed? [+]-- nuclear hobo, Jun 09 2007 Just get a wheedwhackeer attachment for your segway. I'm sure they sell them anyway somewhere, maybe,... it seems like a weedwhacker attachment would make you a path in a crowded sidewalk quite fast. And for the weed. If you find weed in your yard, is it your weed? If not, is it your buddies? Call the cops if you don't want it there. Having the attention of police will pretty much ensure that whoever's weed it is, they're not coming back.
Power plants are more efficient than gasoline motors.-- twitch, Jun 09 2007 When you mentioned how the weedwhacker attachment would clear the sidewalk I immediately thought of Messala's chariot in Ben Hur, the one with the big gnarly spikes on the hubs. The only way they'd be cooler is to have them make some kind of humming or whistling noise as they spin, the keen edges of their multiple blades glistening in the hot midday sun.
Will there be a snow-blower attachment? A leaf-collector?-- Canuck, Jun 09 2007 only a canadian would ask about the snow blower :-D
Be sure to wear your touque whilst blowing said snow. :-D-- CaptainClapper, Jun 09 2007 You can pretty much attach anything with an acceptional energy requirement.-- twitch, Jun 10 2007 (+) Ah, but can it clean the pool.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 10 2007 The double-pontoon attachment with water-refuse collector attachment should take care of surface floaties, but come on!, it's a segway. Wheels for road and sidewalk, not good for water.-- twitch, Jun 10 2007 This is one of the most halfbaked ideas I've seen here in months. [+]-- hidden truths, Jun 10 2007 Watch those low hanging limbs.-- ldischler, Jun 10 2007 well if it's half baked, link it.-- twitch, Jun 10 2007 /big gnarly spikes on the hubs. The only way they'd be cooler is to have them make some kind of humming or whistling noise as they spin/
Problem is that being mounted on the hubs, they would rotate very slowly. The translational motion of the vehicle would be far more significant than the rotational motion of the blades. This fact seems to escape gladiator movie-makers. The chances of inflicting injury are lessened compared to a fixed blade, as with the turny version the opponent is likely to be struck by the 'flat' of the blade, rather than the edge.
As for the whistling noises, well I guess martial arts icons can apparently make whistling noises when turning their head.-- Texticle, Jun 10 2007 I think they have a foley artist in their entourage who takes care of that.-- Canuck, Jun 10 2007 Wouldn't the spinning of the lawnmower interfere with the gyroscopic stability?
[CaptainClapper} Us Canadians do love our touques. Good work spelling touque.-- punk_punker, Jun 11 2007 Gyroscopic stability? You'll get used to it somehow. Don't fall onto the blades!-- twitch, Jun 11 2007 hurray for touques!-- CaptainClapper, Jun 11 2007 Can we put a hedge trimmer on the handlebars to take care of that task at the same time?(+)-- Galbinus_Caeli, Jun 11 2007 Only if you don't mind being top-heavy.-- twitch, Jun 11 2007 Alright - who boned this one? Stand up and explain yourself.-- nuclear hobo, Jun 12 2007 \\well if it's half baked, link it.\\ That was a compliment [twitch]. It means 'well suited to the halfbakery' or something like that I think.
Nice outrage there [nuclear]. You'd have gotten extra points if you'd included the word 'pusillanimous'.-- hidden truths, Jun 12 2007 Bun for the concept ! But anything electric that cuts grass isn't going to be silent. Electric mowers make that dull roar sound while the electic weed eaters make that annoying buzzing noise. Even the blades on manual push mowers make plenty of noise even though they are considerably quieter. But I could definately see this as a machine having the manual push mower blades between the sedgeway wheels.-- Jscotty, Jun 12 2007 Yes, i suppose it is not silent. but atleast they are better for the environment. And don't give me that crap about electric vehicles means burning more coal, gas, or whatever. Lawnmowers and weedwhackers currently don't require catalytic converters. This means they pollute as much as hummers do. And they're loud.
And the more we convert our combustion engines to electric, the more research goes into them, and the more production scale provides us with cheaper electric components, driving the transition between combustion driven to pure electric or hydrogen (I don't really think hydrogen is all that).
Anyway. Economies of scale, baby.-- twitch, Jun 13 2007 I have a floor in my house that needs constant polishing. Would there be a buffer attachment?-- punk_punker, Jun 13 2007 Dibs on Segway sweeper, Segway polisher, Segway concrete finisher, Segway ski lift and Segway sex aid.-- methinksnot, Jun 13 2007 Segway sex aid? Is that the one where the wheels are slightly oval and the handlebars have handcuffs?-- twitch, Jun 13 2007 So this is like a Great Dane Super Surfer, only much smaller and electric, and no caster wheels up front.-- elhigh, Jun 14 2007 Hitherto, I had never been scared of being run over by a Segway.-- theleopard, Jun 14 2007 I'd be scared of being run over by the segway sex aid.-- punk_punker, Jun 14 2007 then make sure you're on top. haha.-- twitch, Jun 14 2007 The problem is, you're standing on this two-wheel device, so you've added your body weight to it. Those wheels will have to be mighty big and wide---say, the size of rear tractor wheels---to distribute that much weight on soft ground without leaving ruts everywhere.-- Ander, Jun 14 2007 What if you are not standing on it. What if you are using the drive system, adjusted the stability system to work at a 45 degree angle...-- twitch, Jun 15 2007 So it's always hurtling towards you? If so, +.-- Texticle, Jun 15 2007 Wouldn't adding unpredictable/variable forces from weedwhackers et al totally throw off the stability mechanics?-- tactik, Jun 15 2007 [-] Because this is an electric self propelled lawnmower you can stand on. I would commend you if this were an attachment to a segway, but it seams you would have to drastically modify the segway to work. Segways don't push foward at all, they balence. You would have to really lean foward to create a linear force on the mower.-- evilpenguin, Jun 15 2007 So lean forward!
Oh, and the attachment should definitely come with additional batteries that really juice it up, making it so when you lean forward, you don't fall into the blades, which will definitely be left exposed.-- twitch, Jun 16 2007 Maybe If the spinning blades went faster it could turn from a segway to a hovercraft.-- punk_punker, Jun 16 2007 //you don't fall into the blades, which will definitely be left exposed// segways fail. they balence. if the redundant systems fail together that power the segway you fall then your F-ed in a freaken operating mower/electric sissor thing. Or am I just thinking to hard?-- evilpenguin, Jun 17 2007 You are correct. I propose to modify the segway in 3 ways though: Adjust the balancing so that the handlebars, held at a 45 degree angle (or it can also be adjusted to a particular degree), will be considered balanced.
A switch will be added, telling the segway to activate it's balancing protocols, like the switches found on regular self-propelling mowers.
Also, a mower-attachment (should have mentioned this one as the first one), which comes with it's own batteries for longer life.
YOU ARE NOT RIDING THE SEGWAY, YOU ARE TREATING IT LIKE A REGULAR PUSH MOWER, you could definitely get a regular push mower and then attach a motor to it, but then how would you ever waste your money and spend your genius if you couldn't attach it to a segway?-- twitch, Jun 17 2007 Would be more fun then either push mower or sit mower, so I think the fun factor is definitely there. :)-- IdeallyFourWord, Jun 18 2007 So, if you don't ride the Segway, and you treat the invention as if it were just a normal push-mower, then... what was the point? Just the pushing power? It's only worth a croissant in my opinion if you can ride the thing. [-/+]
That doesn't appear to be the general consensus mind.-- theleopard, Jun 18 2007 It's in the half-bakery because it is also somewhat a complete waste of money, not to mention that it would be very dangerous. I think these 2 points alone should do here.-- twitch, Jun 18 2007 random, halfbakery