i was surfing around aimlessly in the virtual infinitude of the internet. robots have always fascinated me, the probability of me googling robots is 7 in 10. I came across this self balncing scooter called SEGWAY.
Well m not much into technical writing and I would not spoil the fun of exploring this amazing concept of self balance in machines. For more on it u may as well surf the site..
Ill do what m good at.. speaking about more abstract stuff...
The concept of balance
I was reading through a web page by one of the enthusiasts who tried building a prototype of the balancing scooter. one of the toughest steps in the development he said, was that when the rider leaned forward, the scooter had to speed up n move further in the same direction so as to adjust to the new centre of gravity, and when he leaned behind, it had to the same in the opposite direction. The toughest part is not this.... Every machine (jus like man) has its limitations. So the scooter cannot speed up beyond a certain speed (this is partly cos the hardware will not allow the wheels to rotate any more faster than a certain speed). This speed is predefined (in the case above it was 50% of max). so when the tilt angle of the rider exceeds a limit such that the machine can no longer speed up to balance the centre of gravity, it now has to do jus the opposite.
I was amazed at the level of understanding the developers had gained about the whole concept of balance.
Everyday of our lives, we are juggling amidst new acts of balance.
When lifes pushing u, speed up...
when lifes pulling you.. slow down....
We dont alwes do that, do we?
Rightly said by osho ( m not an ardent fan of his, but I do like some of his randomly strewn articles )... its difficult to stay in the middle (that was the title of The Speaking Tree column in TOI, 21st june). He gave this really beautiful analogy about a pendulum clock. He said a pendulum clock works as long as the pendulum is unbalanced. When the pendulum is in a state of static balance the clock is no longer working.
Balancing is a dynamic process... its like we all are roaming about with inverted pendulums stuck to our skulls. When we move (live) the pendulum shifts to a state of unbalance. We have to move back n forth to achieve balance. This movement itself has the capacity to generate more oscillations in the pendulum, which then need further balancing.
How balanced are we? A simple test... turn on ur tv to any two-opponent game...spend some time watching it. Now answer the simple question... which side do u support?
The answer to this question is also the answer to if u r balanced or not.
9.9 of 10 will end up siding with either team.
Reprogram ur brain to support neither... trust me u will enjoy the game, cos then u can appreciate both the sides with an open heart, without the fear of loyalties.
Its the same with life. Unbalance breeds discontent and hatred. Cos when u r positively unbalanced u r gathering momentum towards negative unbalance n vice versa. U think u r with side A, u r jus making urself more susceptible to being with side B. when u r not taking sides... u r balanced.
Well m not much into technical writing and I would not spoil the fun of exploring this amazing concept of self balance in machines. For more on it u may as well surf the site..
Ill do what m good at.. speaking about more abstract stuff...
The concept of balance
I was reading through a web page by one of the enthusiasts who tried building a prototype of the balancing scooter. one of the toughest steps in the development he said, was that when the rider leaned forward, the scooter had to speed up n move further in the same direction so as to adjust to the new centre of gravity, and when he leaned behind, it had to the same in the opposite direction. The toughest part is not this.... Every machine (jus like man) has its limitations. So the scooter cannot speed up beyond a certain speed (this is partly cos the hardware will not allow the wheels to rotate any more faster than a certain speed). This speed is predefined (in the case above it was 50% of max). so when the tilt angle of the rider exceeds a limit such that the machine can no longer speed up to balance the centre of gravity, it now has to do jus the opposite.
I was amazed at the level of understanding the developers had gained about the whole concept of balance.
Everyday of our lives, we are juggling amidst new acts of balance.
When lifes pushing u, speed up...
when lifes pulling you.. slow down....
We dont alwes do that, do we?
Rightly said by osho ( m not an ardent fan of his, but I do like some of his randomly strewn articles )... its difficult to stay in the middle (that was the title of The Speaking Tree column in TOI, 21st june). He gave this really beautiful analogy about a pendulum clock. He said a pendulum clock works as long as the pendulum is unbalanced. When the pendulum is in a state of static balance the clock is no longer working.
Balancing is a dynamic process... its like we all are roaming about with inverted pendulums stuck to our skulls. When we move (live) the pendulum shifts to a state of unbalance. We have to move back n forth to achieve balance. This movement itself has the capacity to generate more oscillations in the pendulum, which then need further balancing.
How balanced are we? A simple test... turn on ur tv to any two-opponent game...spend some time watching it. Now answer the simple question... which side do u support?
The answer to this question is also the answer to if u r balanced or not.
9.9 of 10 will end up siding with either team.
Reprogram ur brain to support neither... trust me u will enjoy the game, cos then u can appreciate both the sides with an open heart, without the fear of loyalties.
Its the same with life. Unbalance breeds discontent and hatred. Cos when u r positively unbalanced u r gathering momentum towards negative unbalance n vice versa. U think u r with side A, u r jus making urself more susceptible to being with side B. when u r not taking sides... u r balanced.
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