The technology breakthrough isn't much of a breakthrough. It's doing nothing more than using gyroscopes to take instruction and keep the machine balanced. Planes have used gyroscopes for autopilot for decades, only thing he did here was make them really small.
I think you're being hard on the Segway. Being glad it failed isn't the right attitude to have. I, also, would have been surprised if it succeeded, for a lot of your aforementioned reasons.
Being happy that it failed because a bunch of bureaucrats with nothing better to do decided that you're too stupid to pay
attention to a battery low indicator is another thing.
I believed it was a worthwhile attempt, as long it wasn't on the taxpayer dime.