It wasn\u2019t that long ago that inventor Dean Kamen thought his two-wheeled personal transportation device, the Segway, would transform transportation.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the Segway has become synonymous with technology failure.\u00a0 Kamen envisioned a future filled people zipping about on a Segway PT scooter to run errands and travel to work.<\/p>\n
That hasn\u2019t happened. However, Segways are still around. Indeed, Segway celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2011, and it\u2019s not completely rare to see the devices zipping along downtown sidewalks. That\u2019s a pretty impressive feat for a tech \u201cfailure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s discuss how the Segway actually works though.<\/p>\n
Powering the Segway<\/strong><\/p>\n Each Segway PT is powered by electric motors which are, in turn, fueled by phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries. Segway owners can charge these batteries by plugging their Segways into common residential electrical sockets. The unit doesn\u2019t fall over because of its two computers loaded with proprietary software, pair of tilt sensors, and five gyroscopic sensors.<\/strong><\/p>\n Making the Segway Move<\/strong><\/p>\n The user plays the largest role in making the Segway move. By simply shifting your weight in the direction you need to go and moving the handlebars slightly, the Segway\u2019s sensors recognize the change in balance point and react appropriately. The latest version of the Segway features a top speed of 12.5 MPH. For obvious reason, it functions best on flat surfaces.<\/p>\n Lowered Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n Experts touted that the Segway would be a bigger deal that Internet. Clearly the device didn\u2019t meet that level of hype!<\/p>\n Unfortunately, once the Segway was released many thought it looked weird and you looked bizarre riding one. Others thought it looked dangerous. Regardless, the downsides were enough to prevent the Segway from reaching its promised potential.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It wasn\u2019t that long ago that inventor Dean Kamen thought his two-wheeled personal transportation device, the Segway, would transform transportation.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the Segway has become synonymous with technology failure.\u00a0 Kamen envisioned a future filled people zipping about on a Segway PT scooter to run errands and travel to work. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-technology"],"yoast_head":"\n