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Just......no. Do these people know how exhausting it is to even pogostick across a single block? I can hardly do it, and I'm in very good shape. There might be
by nikkwong 7y ago
Just......no. Do these people know how exhausting it is to even pogostick across a single block? I can hardly do it, and I'm in very good shape.
There might be some niche in leaving them in parks and public places as entertainment pieces for bored passerby/tourists; but, as a transportation mechanism, just, no, I don't see it.
- xorcist 7y agoElectric assist pogosticks, then? You heard it here first!
- taneq 7y agoI've often thought that self-balancing tech could make powered unicycles practical (moreso than the few attempts we've seen so far). I don't see why pogo sticks shouldn't join them! :D
- dTal 7y agoI would say there's more than a "few attempts" at powered unicycles - it's an entire industry, complete with expensive brands, cheap Chinese offerings, enthusiast forums, and listicles with titles like "top 10 electric unicycles to buy in 2019". The design has pretty much converged now. I was considering getting one for my daily commute, but a part of me fears that no matter how skilled I got with it, riding over rough ground would still be a risky business. One pothole and your face is in the dirt. What would you change about current EUCs to make them more practical?
- taneq 7y agoAll of the ones I'm aware of balance front/back only, and still require quite a lot of skill to ride. I want to build one which can steer the wheel (using the mass of the rider as reaction mass) as well as spin it forwards/backwards, and so it can fully balance itself and rider.
- IronBacon 7y agoI would love to have one of the Honda unicycle used in the Ok Go video (I won't let you down?), but I would never dare to try it on public streets... Edit: they are called UNI-CUB https://global.honda/innovation/robotics/UNI-CUB.html https://global.honda/innovation/robotics/UNI-CUB.html
- arethuza 7y agoPresumably with Autopogo so you can have a nap or read HN while pogoing about? Edit: Could we have self-pogoing pogo sticks that could come and pick me up? What a bright future we have waiting for us. Edit2: What about delivering pogo sticks by drone?
- inflatableDodo 7y ago>Edit2: What about delivering pogo sticks by drone? Bruce Sterling did this already in the book 'Distraction'. He also had off-road vehicles with loads of pogostick legs. edit - just re-read, did you mean pogo-stick drones that do delivery, or drones that deliver pogo-sticks? I went with the former, but am now not sure that is what you meant.
- cpfohl 7y agoHeadline: Unicyclist seen _cutting off_ Autopogo model L for going too slow in bike lane!
- froindt 7y agoAutopogo reminds me of the shoes which will walk you home automatically from the TV show Red Dwarf. Season 2 Episode 5, can't find the video snippet online quickly, but here's the transcript. Read with a British accent if you're unfamiliar with the show! https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/3duthb/smart_shoes/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/3duthb/smart_shoes/
- microtherion 7y agoAnd if the technology is not quite ready yet, you can always pre-sell a "Full Self Pogoing" option.
- arethuza 7y agoYes, apparently the built-in hardware is sufficient and its just a software upgrade.
- logicallee 7y agoRegenerative braking with 90% energy recovery. You'll need it too because the ride is stop and go all the way.
- antisemiotic 7y agoMechano-elastic regenerative braking utilizing 100% recyclable aluminium!
- teddyh 7y agoDidn’t Doctor Snuggles always use to travel by automated pogo stick?
- intrasight 7y agoWhen I was a frosh at CMU (1983) and working in the robotics lab, the lab next door was Marc Raibert's, and when his hopping robot was operating, everyone knew it. That thing was LOUD. http://www.robothalloffame.org/inductees/08inductees/raibert.html http://www.robothalloffame.org/inductees/08inductees/raibert...
- CaptainZapp 7y agoOnly when they come with AI and are cloud based.
- teekert 7y agoSorry to ask but as person from the Netherlands, is there any definition of the length of a "block"? And then, why not use meters? (Or feet if you want to of course?)
- fingerlocks 7y agoA block is just some arbitrarily short distance. It’s the distance between two cross streets, maybe 1/10th of a mile. It’s not intended to be precise.
- kwhitefoot 7y agoIt's worse than not precise, for a large part of the readership here it is utterly meaningless.
- labster 7y agoWhat do you mean by a "large part" of the readership. Is it precise? Natural languages: where ambiguous meanings abound, and yet we manage to form complex social structures nonetheless.
- gambiting 7y agoLet me put it this way - as an European, I have literally never been to a city which is divided into blocks like the American cities are. Every time TV shows/movies mention "oh he ran 5 blocks!" I have no idea if I'm meant to be impressed or disappointed by the distance.
- lolc 7y agoOh I can translate! The city where I live has short distances between bus stops, just about two blocks. That means you have to walk at maximum one block to reach a bus stop.
- 7y ago
- teekert 7y agoThat movie... if anything feels like a parody, this is it.
- RaceWon 7y ago> how exhausting it is to even pogostick across a single block? I can hardly do it, and I'm in very good shape. Bro, do you even pogo?
- brm 7y agoYeah, but if you view it as a novel way to get people to download an app and later the app offers scooters, bikes, and rides you can see where it might be going... I'm not saying pogo sticks as an onboarding strategy is a great idea but its also not nearly the worst idea i've ever encountered from a startup.
- syn0byte 7y agoIs it not? Haven't we just spend 2 days reading/talking about them? Seems to be working out well for them so far. The opening paragraph has one of their Psychologist angel investors saying exactly this.
- pontifier 7y agoExactly... nobody who has ever tried going any significant distance on a pogo stick would ever mistake this for a real transportation alternative.