BigGoofyGuy
I think that is really neat.
I have a feeling that the first Segway did not do well since it is expensive and did not live up to the hype (will obsolete all other forms of transportation?).
Are there not other companies with something similar but with a more affordable price tag?
Wayne Taylor
What a waste of tax-payer dollars. Hey, can anyone think of a reason we need fat, out-of shape police? We will be safe as long as criminals don't walk up or down stairs to evade capture. Bike police accomplish the exact same thing at WAY under $12,000 (not including future maintenance).
felix
Haha! So Segway's big innovation is to add a third wheel! The irony is not lost on me.
Daishi
@BigWarpGuy Segway never found much of a market in individual buyers because of the price but there are "segway tours" where you can rent segways in some cities and use it for GPS guided tours either solo or with a group that would be cool.
Aside from that I think their main market is security guards and airport police. I've done security before and standing on asphalt for a long time is a pain even without huffing it around a spread out area. You also wouldn't think of asphalt as soft but it beats spending spending 12-13 hours on a marble floor.
Steven Greer
When I saw this on my RSS feed I thought it was something you'd sit down on while you rode, now of course it looks more like a 'chariot' deal. Anyway, my first "you ride it sitting down" thought was...
Scooty Puff Jr.!!!!!!!!! (anyone else? no?)
...but seriously, the 3 wheel irony mentioned by felix is priceless. LOL
Gadgeteer
Isn't this just a copy of the T3 Motion scooter that's been available (for much less than $12,000) for the better part of a decade?
http://www.gizmag.com/go/6343/
The Skud
At least the 'self balancing' computer programming algorithms would be simpler!
The Skud
Interesting thought - What is to stop somebdy 'hot-swapping' the battery pack into the back of their white van while the cop is chasing a bad guy up some apartment stairs?
Sheldon Cooper
Put a seat on it! - or would it then just be an electric trike? No doubt a seat will eventually be offered as an expensive extra.
kid-jensen
Never has there been a more innappropriate use of technology than the original Segway. Why does it need to be self-balancing? The rider is perfectly capable of self-balancing, from the age of about 12 months if I recall correctly. I also seem to remember that the rider is also perfectly capable of travelling at 4 mph.... All those processors (presumably Intel, with their traditional cavalier attitude to power consumption) working away to keep the thing upright, and so little power left to drive it along. It would seem that after millions of dollars development, Segway have finally realised the error of their ways. Too bad you can buy a perfectly good alternative (electric skateboard) for a few hundred quid...