Build your own Segway

Using off-the-shelf technology, Trevor Blackwell went and built himself a discount Segway-like scooter - for about half the price of the real thing:

"Although the Segway has several exotic components, mine is built from common parts like wheelchair motors and RC car batteries. It doesn't have high-performance DSPs or complex software. My first version of the software ran in Python, using serial ports to talk to the gyroscope and motor controller. The current software, now in C running in an onboard 8-bit microcontroller, is only 200 lines of code."

He provides tips for buiding your own, along with videos and a list of gotchas:

"In the fairly likely event of the software crashing, a wire coming loose, a component failing, or the batteries running low, the wheels will lock and the entire kinetic energy of the system will be used to accelerate my head toward the ground."

Via TechDirt.