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This mini-Segway can turn into a robot helper when you're not using it
Part transport device, part robot helper.
4.03pm, 6 Jan 2016
7.9k
7
TALK OF SELF-BALANCING scooters or ‘hoverboards’ may have dominated the Christmas period, but it’s easy to forget that Segway is still around.
The company, whose products have fallen in popularity, was bought by Chinese company Ninebot back in April, but it’s hoping to recover lost ground by announcing a Segway that’s part transport device, part robot helper.
The Ninebot Segway looks similar to any other self-balancing scooter. It’s a two-wheeled device with no handles and can travel at speeds of up to 18km/h, but when you get off, it can turn into a mini-robot that can help you out.
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Ninebot designed the robot Segway in conjunction with Intel using RealSense – a system that includes a 1080p camera, an infrared camera and an infrared laser projector and allows devices to see the world like we would. In this case, it allows the robot to sense its way around a house, recognising both its surroundings and people.
At Intel’s keynote at CES 2016, it showed some of the things the Ninebot robot can do. It can check who is entering a house (if it’s connected with a smart door sensor) and use its camera and sensors to navigate its way around a room. It also records the footage it sees so you can view it in real-time and can follow a person around if they command it.
The robot runs on open platform software meaning developers can come up with their own uses for the robot.
A developer kit will be made available in the second half of this year, but Ninebot didn’t say when a commercial version would be released.
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To all the avid no campaigners on the journal, a very big and very assured F*** YOU.
For months I have endured your abuse, I’ve been called every name you can imagine, from paedophile to Nazi, freak of nature to child stealer. My mental health has taken a battering as I sought to expose the hypocrisy and bigotry of the very lowest participants of this forum. From one particular commenter that repeatedly told me I had a mental illness to another who told me to go to coppers and get the ride as though that would fix me.
I don’t hate you though, I pity you. You live lives full of anger, hatred, confusion and utter bitterness. I wish you were happier people.
So to Paul Roche, Tom Doyle, Tony Kilduff, Top Cat and his many aliases, Paddy Scully, Ugly Truth, David Fitzpatrick, confused Zoe, Gerard Devaney, Gary, David Doyle, and many more who campaigned to oppress me, to silence me, and all the while abused me and tested my resolve, today is MY day. Today is OUR day. I hope you all reflect on the battering you have given me and how you all very nearly broke me.
Holy crap girl, if you’re taking every thing that commenters in here say to heart then I think you’re prob as well staying away from the journal. If a few nasty comments on here nearly broke you as you say then how do you cope with the stresses of real life situations?
Al, I cope perfectly well thanks. Better than most in fact. And this has been the most ‘real life situation’ one can find, where a nation debates your worth and smears your character. I coped and have come out the other side stronger.
Love to all of you, desbite what you have shown to me. Now off to town!
Ailbhe, I have witnessed what you had to endure, the expression of slurs, contempt and hate against you for having had the bravery to stand up and to say why you and all gay peole in Ireland deserve full legal equality.
I was appalled by the utter venom and the scurrility of the remarks made against you and other gay peole. I was shocked that many of these homophobic remarks were left up even though some were not merely hateful. They were an incitement to hatred.
You have been articulate, brave and rational. You managed to persuade a few No supporters to the side of yes and you motivated many such as me by your passion and by your strength.
Ailbhe, my total respect. Today is your day. The gay community, part of our society, should not have had to earn what is theirs’ by right and justice. But you earned it many times over.
Total respect, huge admiration and looking forward to the great joy of this afternoon’s victory.
Sums up a lot of this referendum …’F**k you’ to ‘avid campaigners’ on the opposite side…your words. There was so much positivity that emerged from this regerendum – a real feel good factor that we are on the brink of change in our country. So people disagreed with you…get over it and don’t drop down a level. Keep your own dignity.
Groovus, let me clarify. Not a f*** you to all no campaigners. A f*** you to those that verbally abused me, made personal attacks against me and even went on to attack me via private message because their incideous remarks would not be tolerated by the journal.
If all I give them is a F*** you, that pales in comparison to what they said to me. I will leave them with that and hope they think again before spouting such abuse.
Ailbhe named some of the culprits. In fact, I was amazed by Ailbhe’s patience and politeness towards the non abusuve no supporters.
I can’t figure out the hostility towards Ailbhe. Perhaps, it is because Ailbhe was one of the main, if not the main, advocate on the Journal for marriage equality and was therefore targeted by some highly emotionally disturbed individuals, some of whom have been named above by Ailbhe.
I suspect some of these Twitter and Facebook identities will disappear.
Thanks Anthony. Let them attack me. Let them abuse me. They only prove my point or miss it entirely. I’ve risen above all that. I hope I shed tears of joy today. Thanks for everything.
Ailbhe just named a few of the more abusive and obnoxious culprits, as she was entitled to do. Personally speaking, I hope that this is a totally joyful day for Ailbhe. She has worked so hard and given so much. She is exhausted. This afternoon will be about joyful celebration.
Fair enough Ailbhe, your first sentence threw me. If you put your opinions out there on a site like this you will always attract different responses and some will be distasteful; but that’s the freedom we embrace. Everyone is EQUAL to an opinion. If you think you are the subject of abuse as you say, then you should be more annoyed with the moderator of this site!!
Final overall result should be known by 3.00 PM Irish time, GMT. The results will trickle in before then. thankfully, it looks like a Yes vote by a clean margin.
The No side will then likely start on their legal challenge to the democratic result. That’s what they do.
I hope they don’t, Anthony. My estimation of the ‘no’ side has been shot to sh*t over the past few months but I’d have hoped they’d at least respect the will of the people enough to accept the outcome of their referendum, even if it’s not the outcome they would have hoped for.
It’s basically going to work like the Eurovision – Panti and Ursula Halligan will present the event at the big screen in Dublin Castle and a local celebrity will phone in the result from each of the 27 centres. For example, Daniel O’Donnell will call in the “huit points” from Donegal while Marian Keyes will joyfully deliver “douze points” from Dun Laoghaire. Technical specialists are currently working to create an artificial time delay on the video link so that audiences can enjoy the same level of stilted awkwardness we have come to expect from the flamboyant song contest.
Before any count takes places the question has to be asked how so many people who are clearly not living in the country were allowed to vote. This has being a problem for years but this referendum has highlighted the issue. I also seen on facebook last night where a girl said she had voted in Dublin and was headed to her home town in wexford where she also on the register to vote again. There is something very wrong here that goes to the heart of our democracy.
And you asked the question you feel should be asked well done. Any chance you might actually do something about it other than complain? If you think it has resulted in an unfair result there are lots of friendly people in the Law Library who will be only too happy to agree with you …….for a price.
The problem for the no challengers is that they would have to prove that it would have been a no victory had it not been for these few votes. Facebook messages are not proof of actual voting.
By the way, I’m very happy that some of our emigrants returned to vote yes. Respect and thanks to them.
Larry. Democracy shouldn’t come at a price. I remember when George w was made president by the supreme court in 2000. Is this the idea your suggesting?
So if I live abroad for a few years I’m not entitled to have a say in my home countries constitution. A lot of these people were forced abroad for work and hopefully will come home some day. The problem is not that they came home but that they had to. If u are a citizen u should be entitled to vote abroad through the Irish embassy.
Or maybe you’ll not return but you’d be entitled to decide how the people who stayed and paid the high taxes should live. A relative of mine found us when she came to find her roots. Her grandmother left Ireland during the 1940′s. She claims to be Irish. Do you think she entitled to vote in an irish embassy.
The problem is the wrong that our emigrants would bring a more progressive, expansive and enlightened view into Irish politics. Travel, especially working abroad, broadens the mind, opens the perspective. Then add to that that it is over our most get up and go people who get up and go.
Our politicians would not be able to handle this.
It is fantastic the way that those emigrants who could get back did so and we’re still registered to vote.
My preference would be remote online voting from abroad subject to verification of identity. I think that emigrants have a huge amount of real value to contribute.
If you live abroad for a few years then yes you’re not entitled to vote. Why should you have a say in running a country that you don’t live in? Why should someone permanently resident in Ireland, paying taxes and abiding by Irish law care what someone thousands of miles think? Why should a person who emigrated (forgetting about their reason for emigrating) have the same voice as a permanent resident of this country?
Since, I’m living in modern Ireland and not in the ancient Roman Empire and because I speak English, not Latin, I will opt for Referendums, that is if Skippy does not mind.
The Referendum was on civil marriage. It has no impact on Church weddings. The Roman Catholic Church is legally entitled to continue pursue its policy of discrimination against gay people.
They wont be forced to because Article 44 protects the independence of religious organisations. However I think the RCC in time would do well to reflect a changing world and change its teachings on homosexuality.
They won’t have to. I think there’s legislation which allows places of worship to refuse on, can’t think of a better way to put this, religious grounds.
Id say it will go through. But I will be very interested to see whether my county votes yes or no. It is 62% rural but only voted against divorce 51.5% so perhaps our rural folk are not as conservative as in other counties. I’ll be sure to avoid counties that demonstrate a strident position against LGBT rights – unless of course it includes my own as I can’t afford to move.
Many rural areas may surprise you. Likely, there will be a higher Yes vote in some urban areas but there will be a large Yes vote in many rural areas.
I want to express my admiration and regard for the activist yes campaigners. The yes campaign, except for the politicians, was wonderful.
Today’s successful outcome was grass roots in a real sense, a people’s movement and politicians merely provided the opportunity for us to have the two Referendums.
If you believe in equal rights then don’t put countries on a blacklist. Network, lead by example, change opinions and hopefully you’ll see grassroots changes take place within them. Alienating only leads to misunderstanding.
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