Segway HT

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The Segway HT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing, computer-controlled, electrically-powered gyroscopic light-mode transportation device invented by Dean Kamen and unveiled in December 2001. It is produced by the company Segway Inc., which is based in Bedford, New Hampshire. The name "Segway HT" stands for "Segway Human Transporter".

Computers and motors in the base keep the Segway upright at all times. Users lean forward to move forward, and back to move backwards. Turning is done mechanically via hand control. Segways are driven by quiet, non-polluting electric motors at up to 12.5 mph (10 mph in the P-series). In laws that regulate or ban it, the applicable category is sometimes called "electric personal assistive mobility device" (EPAMD).

1 History
2 Uses
3 Technology
4 Models and price
5 Trivia
6 Segway in popular culture
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

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History

Image:Segway Polizei 4.jpg

The Segway is the world's first self-balancing transportation device. Prior to its demonstration on December 3, 2001, various reports and rumours of a revolutionary invention could be found in the media, but no details were available. Initial reception was enthusiastic: Apple CEO Steve Jobs suggested that cities will be built around this new method of transportation, and venture capitalist John Doerr predicted sales would reach $1 billion sooner after Segway's launch than any other product's sales had. To cope with the expected demand, the factory in Bedford, New Hampshire was originally designed to build up to 40,000 units per month.

Shortly after the demonstration three Segway HTs were sold on auctions at Amazon.com for more than 100,000 dollars each. After several months Amazon and then the official site started regular sales.

The company had expected to sell between 50,000 and 100,000 units in the first year, but after 21 months only 6,000 units had been sold. The figure was revealed during the voluntary recall of all Segway HTs in September 2003; the condition that led to the recall was described in the press release as "Hazard: Under certain operating conditions, particularly when the batteries are near the end of charge, some Segway HTs may not deliver enough power, allowing the rider to fall. This can happen if the rider speeds up abruptly, encounters an obstacle, or continues to ride after receiving a low-battery alert."

Although the company has faced many disappointments, as of 2005, Segway Inc. is working to increase its sales to help recoup the investments in R&D and production. Although some publications are skeptical, it is possible that the Segway will still be a commercial success once the investment is written off (as happened with Iridium). Segway currently has over 100 dealers and distributors internationally.

The device's high price (between US$4000 and US$5500 depending upon the model) is believed to be the main factor responsible for demand being so much lower than expected. Supporters of the technology also claim that the Segway's introduction was spoiled when details leaked from a book manuscript, whose publication was supposed to coincide with the unveiling of the Segway, raised expectations prematurely. Segway enthusiasts claim that the general public is scared off by the revolutionary nature of the product, though these comments have no apparent basis in market research. In order to dispel possible misconceptions, and to undo some of the negative public image associated with it, Segway Inc. has opened dealerships throughout the United States where people can examine and test-drive the Segway HTs. Still, there has been no indication that the general populace will anytime soon consider the Segway HT a practical everyday conveyance rather than an expensive toy.

By late 2004, Segway Inc. had signed distribution agreements in several foreign markets, including Italy and South Korea. The company has received positive feedback from regulators in France and Italy regarding the legal status of Segway riders.

Though its creators believe the Segway HT is ideal for dense urban areas, many American suburbs and major cities (such as Atlanta or Los Angeles) were designed to be navigated almost entirely by automobiles through use of freeways and the Interstate Highway system. Communities in which the Segway would be most successful would seem to be those with much shorter distances between home, work, and recreational areas, so the success of the Segway HT in the market of personal transportation (as opposed to its current status as a recreational device) depends largely on urban development trends or the ability to safely produce future models with higher possible speeds.

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Uses

Image:Savannah segway tour.jpg The Segway HT is designed to be used on sidewalks and other pedestrian areas, hence its footprint is not much bigger than that of a human being. While using Segway HTs on sidewalks is prohibited in a handful of American and European cities, in most locations its use is allowed (and in some places explicitly). Other jurisdictions do not have a current legal definition for the Segway HT, hence making it unusable on either sidewalk or road; in such areas, dealers and advocates have been petitioning governments to create suitable regulations and legal definitions.

If the distance to travel is short, as most car trips are, a Segway HT can be used for personal transportation between home and office, for getting around the city center, shopping, outdoor trips, etc. It is already used in some theme parks by both visitors and employees. Numerous companies organize guided group tours on Segway HTs in the USA, France, Thailand and other countries.

Several organizations have run pilot tests on Segway HT business use, among them police departments, post offices and utility companies. Some of these pilot programs have demonstrated that Segway HTs can often significantly reduce cost and quickly repay the investment; however, the massive fleet sales which Kamen and others predicted have not been forthcoming. This is partially due to the fact that the Segway HT has proven ill-suited for some of the applications for which it was promoted. For example, during a trial by mail-carriers employed by the United States Post Office to deliver mail on foot, many participants noted that they could not sort mail or hold an umbrella while operating a Segway HT. The participants also complained about the device's battery life; however, new batteries with increased capacity were announced in early 2005.

Although developed before the iBOT wheelchair, the Segway HT was intended to be used primarily by healthy users. Still, there are some disabled people (400-600, according to a group called Disability Rights Advocates for Technology) who use Segways to enhance their limited mobility. Among these users are people with multiple sclerosis or arthritis, COPD and even amputees. Using a Segway HT instead of a traditional wheelchair or an expensive iBOT (that costs four to five times as much as a Segway HT) allows them to easily travel around the city, while easing social interactions. However, Segway HTs cannot be marketed as medical devices, because Segway HTs have not been approved by the FDA as a medical device and because Johnson & Johnson has exclusive rights to the medical uses of the balancing technology found within the iBOT and Segway HT.

Most of the Segway HT technology is concentrated in its base with the handle being only useful for the human rider. Stripped of the handle, the Segway HT becomes a universal robotic platform that is still capable of balancing whatever is installed and of moving around as easily as with a human. The Segway robotic platform is widely used by robotics developers in universities and private companies. In December 2003, the Associated Press reported that The Pentagon had purchased several Segways, as part of a research program called Mobile Autonomous Robot Software, an attempt to develop more advanced military robots. There have also been some rumours about a batch of sturdier Segways used by soldiers in a pilot exercise. (See also: Bicycles in warfare).

In October 2004 the company released a prototype model of a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle capable of driving on two wheels called Centaur (ATV).

In November 2004 Josh Caldwell became the first individual to complete a trans-continental trip from Seattle to Boston via a Segway Human Transport vehicle. The trip took 101 days leaving from Seattle on August 8 2004 and finishing in Boston on November 18 2004.

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Technology

The Segway HT has electric motors powered by batteries which can be charged from household current. It balances with the help of dual computers, two tilt sensors, and five gyroscopic sensors. (The gyroscopes do not affect the balance; they are merely used as sensors.) The servo motors rotate the wheels forwards or backwards as needed for balance or propulsion. The rider accelerates or decelerates by leaning forward or backwards in the direction he or she wishes to travel. Steering is controlled by a twist grip on the left handlebar.

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Models and price

Current versions include:

Segway HT — Human Transporter
Segway GT — Golf Transporter
Segway XT — Cross-Terrain Transporter
Segway HTi180 — The Versatile Segway

As of 2005, there are also variants of the HT model available:

i-series — general-purpose, can be used on variable terrain, also includes a special police model
p-series — for use on sidewalks, smaller with shorter battery life

Several new models were announced on March 1 2005, aimed more towards the recreational market. Extended range (15 to 24 miles) lithium ion batteries are also available for between $500 and $1300 depending on how they are purchased.

The price of a Segway is between $3995 to $5495, depending on the model.

The Segway HT's maximum speed is 12.5 mph (approximately 20 km/h). Maximum power is 2 horsepower (1500 watt) per servo motor. The p-series is capable of covering 6-10 miles (10-16 km) on a fully charged standard battery, depending on terrain. It takes 4-6 hours to recharge.

Some detractors note that $200 motorized kick scooters provide very similar utility.

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Trivia

The Segway HT has been known by the names Ginger and IT in the past. The name Ginger followed the name of the project the Segway branched from, which was to develop a wheelchair able to climb stairs. It was called Fred Upstairs, after Fred Astaire — hence Ginger. (note: "Fred Upstairs & Ginger Snappers" is a song by The Good Rats from their 1974 album "Tasty".)
The invention and development of the Segway HT is the subject of Code Name Ginger (the paperback edition is titled Reinventing the Wheel), a book by journalist Steve Kemper.
The name "Segway" is a homophone of "segue" (a smooth transition); HT is an acronym for human transporter.
The inspiration behind the Segway HT came from the balancing technology of Kamen's innovative wheelchair, the iBOT, which can climb stairs, and prop itself up onto two wheels, to raise the user into a nearly-upright position. The first iterations of balancing technology were done in early Segway HT models.
The Segway HT resembles the motorized, gyroscopically stabilized unicycles in the science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein titled "The Roads Must Roll."
The chemist and inventor David E. H. Jones ("Daedalus") described a similar kind of servo-stabilized unicycle, called "the unisphere" in a column in New Scientist magazine on 18 May, 1978.
An article states that Kamen holds that "walking is a remnant of the Dark Ages, an unpleasant time-waster that technology need eradicate" [1]; this point is often noted by critics of the Segway, who feel that walking is a natural human exercise that should be encouraged, not made obsolete, to offset declining health figures.
President George W. Bush fell off his personal Segway in June 2003, but was unharmed. The incident reportedly happened because the Segway was not switched on. [2]
President George W. Bush gave a Segway as a gift to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in December 2005.

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Segway in popular culture

People at Bay Area SEG have been leading the trend to use Segway in a sport called Segway Polo. [3]
The Segway and its iBOT ancestor were both preceded in concept by the two wheel fire engine of the comic strip character Smokey Stover.
In the Frasier episode "The Love You Fake," Niles is a Segway tester and is seen riding one throughout the show.
In Arrested Development, G.O.B. owns a Segway and is often seen riding it.
Episode 511 of South Park, "The Entity", was based on early advertisements for the Segway. These ads only referred to the Segway as "It." (According to the directors' mini-commentary for the episode, they apparently bought a Segway, tried to do a trick on it in the parking lot, and broke it.)
Shaquille O'Neal is known to own (or have owned) a Segway, as evinced by a tour of his home on MTV Cribs.
Two Segways were used during Peter Gabriel's Growing Up Live/Still Growing Up Live tours by Peter and his daughter, particularly during the Games Without Frontiers song.
On the Reise Reise tour Flake Lorenz, the keyboardist from the German rock band Rammstein, rode a Segway during the song Amerika in a show in Gothenburg, Sweden. He accidentally ran into the band's lead singer Till Lindemann, giving him a bad knee injury which meant Rammstein's Asian tour had to be cancelled.
WWE professional wrestler Simon Dean routinely drives a Segway to ringside before his matches. He has named his Segway "The Dean Machine".
In The Simpson's episode The Seven-Beer Snitch, Homer is seen riding a Segway to flee a prison mob.
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi turned up to work on a Segway. [4]
Steve Wozniak (Woz), Apple Computer Founder, was the first consumer to purchase a Segway.