IT and Us - The Segway and Human Balance
Late in 2001, a great deal of media attention was focused on Ginger, a.k.a. "IT" - a secret invention that the brilliant and eccentric inventor Dean Kamen had been working on for over a decade. Some reports said it would be an even bigger deal than the PC!
What finally emerged in early December was the Segway, a self-balancing "human transporter". It uses a combination of gyroscopes, tilt sensors and high performance motors - and vast amounts of computing power - to produce a scooter-like device that lets you travel over virtually any kind of terrain without toppling over.
As Kamen explains, "The idea is to put a human being into a system where the machine acts as an extension of your body. When you walk, you're really in what's called a controlled fall. You off-balance yourself, putting one foot in front of the other and falling onto them over and over again. When you use a Segway, there's a gyroscope that acts like your inner ear, a computer that acts like your brain, motors that act like your muscles, wheels that act like your feet."
Segway's performance has earned rave reviews, although its $3000 price tag may limit sales to industrial markets and the high-end consumer market.
The Segway is a wonderful reminder of our own ability to stand and move about with an upright posture. The Segway's design is impressive all right, but what's even more amazing is the design of our body that allows us to go about life without falling over. After all, we are tall, relatively thin creatures with a high center of gravity resting on two rather small feet.
Why on earth don't we just keep falling over? How do we stay upright?
A large part of the answer lies in the way our head is balanced on top of our spines and an ingenious structure that allows for stability - our heads don't easily detach from our bodies! - and for flexibility - our heads can move quickly and easily in response to changing circumstances.
As Joan Arnold, a teacher of the Alexander Technique in New York City writes: "... when the neck muscles do not overwork, the head balances lightly at the top of spine. The relationship between the head and the spine is of utmost importance. How we manage that relationship has ramifications throughout the rest of the body. As the boss -- good or bad -- sets the tone for an organization, the head / spine relationship -- compressed or free -- determines the quality of the body's overall coordination.
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