The Segway™ Human Transporter (HT) is a truly
21st-century idea. A two-wheeled electric vehicle that's practical, efficient,
slightly miraculous, and an undeniably fun way of getting around, it's as
different from a bicycle or motorcycle as the original personal computers were
from their lumbering, mainframe predecessors.
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"Control
In our tests, we rode the Segway™ HT in a variety of indoor and outdoor
environments. Zipping along on the little platform was so steady and
comfortable, we quickly forgot how much technology was at work to keep us
balanced. The Segway™ HT moves forward with cues from your body language--the
subtle leaning you use to balance yourself while walking or running. When you
lean forward, the Segway™ HT goes forward. A walking lean produces a walking
rate, a steeper running lean can bring the machine to its top speed of 12.5 mph.
The Segway™ HT stops when you right yourself again.
Steering is controlled separately with a small twist-grip on
the left handlebar. The Segway™ HT's two-wheeled design makes it quite agile--it
can do sharp turns and turn completely in place. Sharper turns require slight
leaning into the turns, as you'd expect, but the Segway™ HT helps by actively
regulating turn responsiveness based on your speed. One small complaint: using a
throttle-like control for turns instead of acceleration did take some getting
used to, but the inconvenience was minor and went away over time.
Overall, we were surprised how quickly we were able to get
comfortable on the Segway™ HT. A novice can be underway in seconds (with
supervision) and ascending ramps and turning figure eights in minutes. After
training and a few hours of use, a rider should feel comfortable with a wide
range of activities.
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"Riding
The Segway™ HT moves briskly along on both paved and rough terrain, taking ruts
and potholes bumpily but with no loss of control, even for the beginner. Modest
hills were ascended with ease and without much discernable effort. All things
told, the Segway™ HT seemed rugged enough to provide reliable transportation in
pedestrian environments ranging from rural trails to the sidewalks of a
congested city. And utility aside, it's worth stating that the element of
machine-assisted balance was a continuous delight. We simply had more control
over our movements than we previously could have imagined possible. This was
particularly true on downhill rides, where our body language had a degree of
command over gravity so unusual that it produced a dreamy, floating feeling.
The Segway™ HT is not a medical device; if you can't easily
stand upright or endure some jostling on varied terrain, it will not solve these
problems for you. But while the Segway™ HT cannot provide balance that the rider
doesn't already have, its responsiveness brings a subtle beauty to the rider's
movements. We watched more experienced riders start, stop, swoop, and turn as
gracefully as figure skaters. In fact, the machine's ease of use could create
some overconfidence. The Segway™ HT has not suspended the laws of physics--its
wheels need traction. While the machine will keep itself level under almost any
situation we could imagine, a careless rider who drops a wheel over a curb, or
tries to turn too quickly on a slippery surface, certainly could take a tumble.
Segway™ advises that riders wear a safety helmet (like a bicycle helmet) and
start out in the Beginner mode before moving on to the faster settings.
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"User-Friendly Design
The Segway™ HT's controls are simple. A single round display on the handlebars
shows either a smiley face (meaning "get on") or a frown face ("get off"). A
graphic surrounding the face indicates the battery level. The Segway™ has no
brakes--slowing down involves the same process as acceleration--and its gentle
rate precludes any need for a speedometer. We timed its startup speed from the
off position to ready to ride: pressing an encrypted "key" to the key port (the
key looks like a large watch battery on a plastic fob), hitting the start
button, and waiting for the smiley face to come up took a little more than one
second.
This machine is clearly designed for close interaction with
pedestrians. Its footprint is only a bit wider than a large man, so we were able
to do things like ride comfortably in an elevator with another Segway™ HT rider
and a pedestrian, with an almost disappointing lack of bustle or incident. The
machine can haul 75 pounds of cargo and still support a 250-pound person, though
you'll need to use the HT's soon-to-come mounted accessory bags for any serious
buying trip.
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"Usability
Having ridden a Segway™ HT, we think almost anyone would be delighted to try this
machine. Inevitably, however, one must ask about how usable it is. Clearly, it
isn't a car: it won't carry multiple passengers or much luggage, go long
distances, or protect you from the elements. Still, we thought of many
circumstances where the Segway™ HT could be a fun and practical alternative to
other modes of transportation. We can see potential users as regular folks
traveling to and from work each day, students and professors in college towns,
city dwellers who take many short trips, retirees in Sunbelt resort communities,
vacationers traveling with RVs, and people with easy access to nature trails and
walkways.
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"Well-Built Construction
We had the opportunity to look into the guts of the Segway™ HT in its
pre-assembled state. Inside it was clean and simple, and the few moving parts,
such as the gears, struck us as rugged and well made. There are no cooling fans;
the circuits and engine are cooled through their contact with the platform's
heat-drawing aluminum casing. Each finished HT is tested both at the software
level and for quality riding on an obstacle course in the assembly plant. See
the technical specifications for more information.
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"Conclusion
We're convinced that anyone who tries a Segway™ HT will be smiling in minutes.
The other advantage is that early purchasers will certainly be the first on
their blocks to have one. But for how long? We think we'll all be seeing much
more of the Segway™ HT in the future."
