Years ago, a product that attracted a lot of attention, the Segway, was launched on the market. This product was nothing more than a simple means of transport, similar to skates, that is, it did not allow us to travel long distances without getting tired and that unlike other means of transport, the Segway did not require our physical activity.
Although everyone was struck by the Segway, few have this device and over time, such a medium has been used for large surfaces such as Department stores, factories, tourist complexes, etc…. That is, areas where you have to travel a long distance and where you cannot use the car to do so.
The main problem of the Segway and that has caused it to be relegated to these areas is the price of each unit, a very high price that one cannot afford on a personal basis, can one? It has recently been launched an open source project called OpenWheels that aims for us to build a homemade Segway, but efficient.
What do we need to build our own Segway?
Building OpenWheels is straightforward and simple: you just need a small platform, two motors, two wheels, a handlebar, a battery, and an electronics. Both the wheels, the handlebars and the platform are part of the structure, something that we can alter but not much since we would only have the Segway that we want. Then, regarding the two motors, the battery and the electronics, they are components that must be constantly checked for a simple reason, they are the soul of our OpenWheels and not only influence their functions but also their weight.
Two heavy motors will make our OpenWheels not move or move slowly, two light motors will make our OpenWheels a very fast and difficult to control Segway. The batteries are also important since in addition to influencing the weight, it will give us autonomy to the device. And electronics is the heart and brain of OpenWheels, you have to check all the plates on the market well and find the best one, this will sometimes involve a large outlay but it is justified.
You have more details of the project here. Just remember that OpenWheels is a homemade Segway, it will not cost you 6.000 euros but you will not have any necessary certificates to drive it in spaces with a large influx of people nor can you use devices destined for the Segway world, but for something homemade it works well, don't you think?