DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF SEGWAY URBAN COMMUTER

Abstract: Cycles have been around since 1800's and they have been used for personal transportation ever since. Their use is however limited when it comes to being used indoors or for senior citizens to go up hill outside. Furthermore we need to reduce the mechanical effort of humans to make the ride effortless but also green enough to not damage the environment. The purpose of the paper is to design, fabricate and analyse the Segway Urban Commuter (SUC). The vehicle comprises of two wheels on either side of a frame. The user stands on the platform and changes his centre of gravity by shifting his weight forward or backward on the platform. This tends to make the platform tilt with the user, this tilt is read by the accelerometer and the wheels are set in motion by the Arduino to help balance the user. Hence more the tilt, greater is the speed achieved to keep the user balanced. This setup is designed to provide a zero pollution vehicle on campus that is fabricated with cost reduction in mind, without compromising on the safety and other necessary features of the original Segway. This project also includes additions that greatly enhance the usability of the vehicle.

Keywords: Segway Urban Commuter, electric vehicle, self-balancing, green vehicle, personal commuter.