Segways go on sale. No need to walk ever again

BikeBiz.co.uk ^ | 11/18/2002 | By Carlton Reid

[man from mars]

As revealed on US breakfast telly this morning, Dean Kamen's Segway< is on sale from today via the Amazon 'early adoptors' club. Delivery is US-only and your $4950 machine actually ships in March at the earliest (although in a bid for even more publicity, 30 consumers will be hand-picked to receive their Segways before Christmas).

[meyer]

It's just like being hit by another pedestrian, provided that pedestrian has wheels, carries eighty pounds of extra weight around with him or her, and travels at twelve miles an hour.

At 12 mph, the segway and its occupant become a dangerous projectile. There is a reason that bicycles aren't generally allowed on the sidewalk. This reasoning applies to segways as well. Expect many lawsuits.

[meyer]

I don't know. I suspect this has been considered.

I hope not - that'll take half the fun out of watching them.

[Darlin']

Well, of course, it would hurt you, probably seriously, if one ran into you. Heck, a tricycle powered by a toddler can hurt you if caught off guard. And true enough we don't know "what went on before the cameras were turned on" but I don't think they had anything to gain, they weren't selling them. Robin Roberts, a former athlete, seemed to have lots of fun with it and the same for Diane Sawyer.. Sawyer is certainly not an athlete or mechanically inclined, in fact, she is something of a klutz. They were just having a good time with it and asked some of the right questions. For instance they wanted to know when or if the price would be coming down. LOL

[strela]

Why is everyone so negative about this thing?

Here's my reasons:

1. With all the hype and hoopla devoted to it, the Segway wound up being essentially an electric scooter with a somewhat cool gyro-based stabilization mechanism. Big deal.

2. We were all under the impression that some sort of exotic new fuel supply would be powering the thing; i.e.: Stirling engine, fuel cell, hydrogen, even anti-gravity or levitation. And, it wound up being rechargeable batteries instead. Ho hum - another case of too much sizzle and not enough steak.

3. $6000 (now reduced to about $5000) is a lot to pay for what is essentially a glorified toy.

4. There's no place to sit, nor any way to carry any substantial load on it.

5. There's no way to secure it in city environments (unless you use essentially a bicycle lock and chain). And those get cut every day.

6. Its not an all-weather design. It'll work fine during the day on uncrowded paved roads and sidewalks in good weather, but that's about it. Introduce night, cold weather, rain, colichi or dirt roads, and you're SOL.

7. I couldn't use it downtown while at work because my car's not big enough to transport the thing from home. And I suspect it is heavy enough to require two people to lift it in and out of a truck.

8. And the last reason - people will look like geeks buzzing around on the thing. All they'll need to complete the effect are eyeglasses repaired with athletic tape and a pocket protector.

[oyez]

They'll be a big hit. You got that right! They will fill up the hospitals and Segway better have a heafty legal department.

[FreedomPoster]

I wanna get one and put a "Type R" sticker on it. Isn't that what all the qoo1 kidz do?

[meyer]

You've described conditions in which most people won't walk. Move South. The political climate is also better.

Having lived in northern Ohio for a good part of my life, I can say with a great deal of certainty that people do indeed walk in some very adverse conditions. Still, your advice of moving South is good. I did.

[discostu]

They didn't have anything to gain, but by the same token having one of their multimillion dollar hosts bust his face on national TV probably is something they'd like to avoid.

I'm sure they're tons of fun. Doesn't mean they're useful. And Kamen doesn't seem to be marketing them as toys, he's marketing them as something useful. Hopefully these things will be successful enough for a racing circuit to form around them, that's about the best future I can see for them though.

[meyer]

I can just see the Frenchmen tooling around on these to pick up their bread or flee from the Germans.

The eternal question becomes, "can the segway outrun the tiger tank?"

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

No way, how does this guy wipe his @ss??

[GallopingGhost]

The only question is whether there will be more broken tibia's, fibula's or torn achilles tendons. Check out the clearance on that thing, its just above the ankle. I wonder if there is anything in the purchasing agreement which indemnifies the company from liability?

[meyer]

The only question is whether there will be more broken tibia's, fibula's or torn achilles tendons. Check out the clearance on that thing, its just above the ankle. I wonder if there is anything in the purchasing agreement which indemnifies the company from liability?

Nothing in the purchasing agreement can trump "implied merchantability". Lawyers will have fun.

[Darlin']

No doubt lots of folks felt the same way about the car, an airplane, the telephone and even the internet.

I have no idea whether in their present form they'll ever be useful or not. Who knows. They might have a future on large univerisity campuses, arenas, congested downtown historic districts, golf courses, hospitals grounds.

[New Horizon]

Oh man! I used to love Mad magazine! I may still have some issues laying around here somewhere.

A couple of other FReepers about said it all in previous posts...it's been hyped-up as some revolutionary device, but doesn't serve a practical purpose for the average Joe Blow, like me.

Geting around more efficiently in warehouses, etc. would be the only practical use for the thing.

Could you imagine a city full of these things? I can, and it would be complete chaos (not to mention the personal injury lawsuits it will generate).

But, if I had a disposable income, you can bet I'd get myself one!

[LibWhacker]

That's "Flex" Wheeler. And those are his real arms. But somebody photoshopped 'em. Blew 'em WAY up. LOL. Pretty good, huh? Fooled me, too, when I first saw it. :-)

[meyer]

That's "Flex" Wheeler. And those are his real arms. But somebody photoshopped 'em. Blew 'em WAY up. LOL. Pretty good, huh? Fooled me, too, when I first saw it. :-)

I was thinking that there was a "house of mirrors" effect there somewhere. Obviously, his guns got stretched a bit. :^)

That's not to say Flex isn't huge; he is. His real arms are probably as big or bigger around than my thighs. The man's supersized.

[Luis Gonzalez]

They are being used fairly extensively by Disney. I saw a whole bunch in EPCOT this week while I was there.

Parking lot supervisors were using them, as well as park vendors.

They get around really well.

[LibWhacker]

Yup. I think he's got 21" arms. Here's the before and after Photoshop shots:

[William Terrell]

Now tell me, how does this guy wipe his ass after taking a dump?

[meyer]

Yup. I think he's got 21" arms.

Well, I guess my thigh still has a couple of inches on his arms. LOL! That is a wicked comparison when you think about it.

I'd guess that his arm strength, judging by the 200 lb.+ dumbells he's hoisting, exceeds the strength of most people's legs. Very impressive.