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Robotics

Segway's latest take on personal mobility is a robotic helper you can ride

By Nick Lavars
January 07, 2016
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The company hopes to start shipping developer units in the third quarter of 2016
Unveiled at CES this week, the Segway Robot was developed in collaboration with Intel and Chinese robotics firm Ninebot
The robot is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Android with an open SDK
The Segway Robot builds on the company's approach to self-balancing urban transport by converting into a robotic helper once you hop off
Unveiled at CES this week, the Segway Robot was developed in collaboration with Intel and Chinese robotics firm Ninebot
The robot is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Android with an open SDK
The company hopes to start shipping developer units in the third quarter of 2016
The Segway Robot builds on the company's approach to self-balancing urban transport by converting into a robotic helper once you hop off
The robot is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Android with an open SDK
The company hopes to start shipping developer units in the third quarter of 2016
Unveiled at CES this week, the Segway Robot was developed in collaboration with Intel and Chinese robotics firm Ninebot
The robot is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Android with an open SDK
The company hopes to start shipping developer units in the third quarter of 2016
The robot is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Android with an open SDK
The Segway Robot builds on the company's approach to self-balancing urban transport by converting into a robotic helper once you hop off
The company hopes to start shipping developer units in the third quarter of 2016
Unveiled at CES this week, the Segway Robot was developed in collaboration with Intel and Chinese robotics firm Ninebot
The robot is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Android with an open SDK
The Segway Robot unveiled at CES
Darren Quick/Gizmag
The Segway Robot unveiled at CES
Darren Quick/Gizmag
The Segway Robot unveiled at CES
Darren Quick/Gizmag
The Segway Robot unveiled at CES
Darren Quick/Gizmag
View gallery - 21 images

Though it has been adapted to a number of inventive shapes and sizes ranging from three-wheeled patrollers to self-balancing two seaters, the Segway never quite found the commercial success envisaged when the first models appeared way back in 2002. Now the company is bringing a little robotics into the mix to give it a new edge. The Segway Robot builds on the company's approach to self-balancing urban transport by converting into a robotic helper once you hop off.

Unveiled at CES this week, the Segway Robot was developed in collaboration with Intel and Chinese robotics firm Ninebot. At its base, the vehicle looks a lot like those currently popular "hoverboards" that seem to be catching fire all over the place, with a flat platform for the user's feet flanked by wheels on either side. This can be ridden around like a handle-free Segway at up to 18 km/h (11 mph) over an 30 km (18 mi) range, powered by a pair of 800 W motors.

Sitting in the center of the vehicle in between the user's legs is a small, slender unit. From here a rectangular screen folds out, transforming the vehicle into an animated robot on wheels. With Intel's RealSense RGB-D depth sensing camera, along with other fisheye tracking and photo cameras, the robot could be programmed to recognize, follow or take snaps and video of subjects or its master. There's also a microphone array to allow for voice commands.

The robot is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Android with an open SDK

The robot is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Android with an open SDK. The company hopes to start shipping developer units in the third quarter of 2016, which will include enrolment in Segway's Robot Developer Program.

You can see the robot in action in the video below.

Source: Segway Robot

View gallery - 21 images

Tags

RoboticsSegwayPersonal Mobility VehicleCES 2016
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Nick Lavars
Nick has been writing and editing at New Atlas for over six years, where he has covered everything from distant space probes to self-driving cars to oddball animal science. He previously spent time at The Conversation, Mashable and The Santiago Times, earning a Masters degree in communications from Melbourne’s RMIT University along the way.
7 comments
Daishi
This is a much much better attempt at household robotics than things with legs. The Segway Mini platform this is built on costs about $315 and all the computing power and sensors necessary to make it a robot can essentially be found in a tablet. I'm sure this one costs more but it's possible to build something like this for about $500 and still be heavy duty enough to carry a person.
This is so much cooler than Intels proposal of legged robots from last year which essentially amounted to an expensive 3D printed PC case: http://www.gizmag.com/intel-jimmy-3d-printed-robot/32325/




Mr. Hensley Garlington
I agree with you, Daishi. I believe multi-purpose systems like this to be a better and more useful product, similar to the way the a PDA and cellular phone merged into the smartphone. The ability to use it as transport, carrying extra gear, and as a very basic assistant, are miles more helpful than any one of those categories apart. Recently, the Marines rejected Boston Dynamic's Big Dog, is it was way to loud for combat operations. I think an all-terrain, ruggadized, more military specific version of something similar to this, would be much more suitable for their purposes. Even shaving 10 miles off a soldier's hike would be worth it, or 15+ miles if just tasked with carrying some or all of the soldier's gear that he doesn't need immediately.
Its so simple of an upgrade, we really have to wonder why they didn't think of this before.
PlanetPapi
More than anything the price point is fantastic. The Segway in that picture is currently selling around $350 sans all that robo stuff. Add another $650 for additional robo functionality to make it a grand, is a super deal for many. A personal robo that converts into personal transportation devise under a $1000 is as good as it gets. I'm in.
Bob Flint
Segway missed the mark again, it didn't offer enough to the consumer to warrant the expense, storage and maintenance of the original Segway, so by adding an autonomous/camera feature just makes it more frivolous.
Shameful that no interest in the aging population that will need help in the transportation service, rather focus on the young rich lazy people who could easily lose more than a few pounds walking.
Phyzzi
Bob, Segway long since targeted the population you're talking about, at least in the US. It's just that most of those people are 1) less trustful of technology and/or 2) need to sit most of the time. However, as a robotic assistant, this suddenly becomes something worth having around, and if it's light enough, it's something that people could take with them to work and use to extend their walking distance, as well as for regular fetch tasks that some of us have at work (or at home).
Douglas Bennett Rogers
It looks like it could park on an escalator step, a big plus.
Wolf0579
It needs a seat and a handle or two
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