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The Segway PT (formerly HT) is a two-wheeled, self-balancing transportation device invented by Dean Kamen and unveiled in December 2001. It is available in various models and form factors produced by the company Segway Inc. of New Hampshire. The name "Segway PT" stands for "Segway Personal Transporter", while the older acronym, HT, stood for "Human Transporter". Computers and motors in the base keep the Segway upright at all times. Users lean forward to go forward, and back to move backwards. In new models turning is also done by leaning left and right while in older/discontinued models via twisting a hand grip on the left handlebar. Segway PTs are driven by electric motors at up to 5.6 m/s (12.5 mph or 20 km/h) (4.5 m/s in the small discontinued p-Series), about the speed an average person can run. Gyroscopes are used to detect departures from perfect balance. In laws that regulate it, the applicable category is sometimes called "electric personal assistive mobility device" (EPAMD). The Segway is designed to replace larger forms of transportations like cars, vans, SUVs etc, much like other scooters or motorcycles do, yet be even lower impact (much cleaner, quieter, smaller and safer). Kamen's Vision: The EPA states that 500 million car trips per day in the US are less than 5 miles and contain only one person in the vehicle, if only a percentage of those used a tiny electric "car" instead, the positive effects could be considerable.
History The Segway was first demonstrated to the public on December 3, 2001. This date was a full year ahead of schedule because the developers wished to forestall the media overhype due to leaks from a book manuscript about what the publisher termed "IT." The media hype had reached a frenzy that claimed, without any actual details, that "IT" was some sort of revolutionary invention. It was also nicknamed the Ginger project. Speculation was rampant on what the device could be. During the months following the demonstration in late 2001, three limited-edition Segways were sold on auctions at Amazon.com for more than 100,000 dollars each to raise money for Kamen's education effort FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology; http://www.usfirst.org/). A full year later, in late 2002, Amazon finally began to take pre-orders for the first units with first deliveries in March 2003. By April 2003 Amazon, the official site, started regular sales. The company was reported to have sold 6,000 units in the first six months (March to September 2003) (~$36M in sales). In October 2003 the company released a smaller, lighter, less expensive model ($3999), the p Series Segway (p133) for more urban and pedestrian environments. This has been the favorite model of the inventor, Dean Kamen. He is often seen on it with his special briefcase holder with briefcase. In June 2004 Segway LLC released the new "midnight blue" Segway i170 model, and later in October 2004 the company revealed a prototype model of a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle capable of driving on two wheels called Centaur (ATV)*, but no plans to mass-produce it for sale. In November 2004 Josh Caldwell became the first individual to complete a trans-continental trip from Seattle to Boston by Segway. The trip took 101 days leaving from Seattle on August 8 2004 and finishing in Boston on November 18 2004. In 2006 Josh and others released a documentary film, "10MPH", chronicling his journey. "10MPH" won awards for "best documentary" at the 2006 Solstice and East Lansing film festivals. In early 2005 a new kind of lithium ion battery doubled the range of the Segway models i167, i170, and i180 *. The more powerful battery also made possible the first off-road model, the Segway XT. Second generation design In August 2006, Segway discontinued all previous models and announced new second generation designs that upgraded many elements of the previous transporters. New materials, new industrial designs and new functionalities that affected nearly every part of the Personal Transporter were revealed. The new Gen II PT, marketed under the two product lines, i2 and x2, has a distinct new capability to allow users to steer by leaning to the right or left, which matched the intuitive natural of moving forward and backward. Other features were also announced, including numerous tech functions available on the machine as well as by wireless InfoKey access*. The changes are substantial and allow the transportation device to become even more intuitive and a greater natural extension of the rider. The industrial design changes appear to appeal more to the motorcycle enthusiast with brushed aluminum and smoothed soder points on metal. The pricing structure remains the same for the most part. Much like the PC during it's first 20 years, the PT appears to have a price point that sales and profits meet in an equilibrium that the manufacturers are happy with. Although the company has faced disappointments, its sales have increased 50% year-over-year since its consumer sales began in March 2003 and totalled 23,500 by mid 2006 (when revealed by a voluntary recall for a software patch). Segway Inc is reported to be focused on expanding their presence in industry as well as consumer markets with the new models. The device's relatively high price for a scooter/small motorcycle (new units for sale between US$4000 and US$5500, depending upon the model) is believed to be the main factor responsible for consumer demand being lower than expected, yet also the reason the company is still making a profit. Segway Inc. has established independent dealerships (not franchises) throughout the United States where people can examine and test-drive the Segway PTs. Segway Inc. has signed distribution agreements in several foreign markets, including Italy and South Korea. The company currently has more than 100 dealers and distributors internationally. Uses The Segway PT is designed to be used on sidewalks, other pedestrian areas, as well as bicycle lanes and city streets depending on local laws. Its footprint is not much bigger than that of a human being. Though its creators believe the new Segway PT is ideal for dense urban areas, some Americans believe that US cities (such as Atlanta, Houston, or Los Angeles) were designed to be navigated primarily by automobiles alone through use of freeways and the Interstate Highway system and that there is little room for alternative forms of transportation like the Segway PT. Communities in which the Segway PT would be most successful would be those that are pedestrian-friendly, that is, in walkable communities. In professional planning, "smart growth" encourages communities with shorter distances between home, work, stores, and recreational areas. Therefore, the success of the Segway PT in the market of personal transportation (as opposed to as a recreational device) depends largely on both urban development trends toward "smart growth" rather than toward "urban sprawl," as well as the availability of future more affordable Segway models. Its acceptance may also depend on something less complex, the price of gasoline in the United States. If the price of gas passes $4/gallon, alternative forms of transportation may quickly gain respect (as they have for years in Europe). If the distance to travel is short, a Segway PT 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 business use, among them police departments, post offices, warehouses, and utility companies. Some of these pilot programs have demonstrated that Segway PTs can often significantly reduce cost and quickly repay the investment; however, the massive fleet sales which Kamen and others predicted have not yet been forthcoming. New second-generation models and new lithium ion batteries that double range may alter this dynamic. Change is hard, for example, during a trial by United States Post Office to deliver mail on foot, some mail carriers noted that they could not sort mail or hold an umbrella while operating a Segway PT and thus would rather drive large trucks. The Segway PT was developed after the iBOT wheelchair and was intended to be used primarily by able-bodied users. Still, an increasing number of disabled people (4000-7000, according to a group called Disability Rights Advocates for Technology) use Segways to enhance their limited mobility. Among these users are people with multiple sclerosis or arthritis, COPD and even amputees in particular a growing group of war veterans. Using a Segway PT instead of a traditional wheelchair or an expensive iBOT (that costs four to five times as much as a Segway PT) allows them to easily travel around the city, while easing social interactions. This has also been supported by a product called the SegSeat that adds a seat to the Segway PT for users with limited capacity to stand for long periods. However, Segways cannot be marketed as medical devices, because Segways have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration 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 PT. Most of the Segway PT technology is concentrated in its base with the handle being only useful for the human rider. Stripped of the handle, the Segway PT 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). Technology The Segway PT has electric motors powered by batteries which can be charged from household current. It balances with the help of dual computers with proprietary software, two tilt sensors, and five gyroscopes. (The gyroscopes do not affect the balance; they are merely used as sensors, see detail below.) 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. On older models, steering is controlled by a twist grip on the left handlebar, which simply varies the speeds between the two motors, rotating the Segway PT (a decrease in the speed of the left wheel would turn the Segway PT to the left). Newer models enable the use of "leaning" to steer as well as move forwards or backwards. The Segway PT is built simply to stay balanced in one place. Designed to mirror the process of human walking, if the rider standing on an initially balanced Segway PT leans forward, therefore offsetting the balance, the PT moves forward to regain balance just as in walking a leg moves forward to retain balance (walking is actually "controlled falling"). With the Segway PT, changes from a balanced status are first detected by the gyroscopes and signals are passed on to the onboard computers which then direct motors to regain balance. Note that this process occurs about 100 times per second*, so small adjustments to maintain balance occur almost immediately after the balance is offset by the rider. The side effect of this balancing system is that as the Segway PT balances itself the entire unit changes position in the direction it has moved to restore balance. (For example, if the rider leans forward, the entire Segway PT will move forward from its original position, until the rider restores an upright position on the unit.) This is precisely how the Segway PT is controlled -- the balancing and movement is essentially one combined system. Designed much like the physiology of human walking, the Segway system is a balancing system that leads to intuitive motion. Riders who have had experience with the Segway PT have undoubtedly felt its "governor" (speed limiting) mechanism. When the Segway PT approaches the maximum speed allowed by the software, it intentionally begins to tilt slightly backwards. This moves the platform out in front, and leans the handlebars backwards towards the rider, eventually nudging the rider to lean back slightly and slow the Segway PT down. If not for the governor, riders would be able to lean farther than the motor could even compensate for, like running faster than your legs can keep up with. The Segway PT also slows or stops immediately if the handlebar of the unit (or forward bag) nudges into any obstacle in front of it. The technology used in the Segway PT is licensed as Segway Smart Motion. Wow Wee, a toy company, is the first licensee, and will make use of it in products (the P.E.A. Bot) debuting sometime in 2006. Models and price In 2006, new series, i2 and x2, were released, replacing the older lineup. Previous i-Series and p-Series versions included: The price of a Segway HT or PT is between $4,000 and $5,500, depending on the model. The Segway's i-Series models maximum speed is 12.5 mph (approximately 20 km/h). Maximum power is 2 horsepower (1500 watt) per servo motor. The i-Series is capable of covering 15-24 miles* (24-38 km) on a fully charged lithium ion battery, depending on terrain, riding style, and the condition of the batteries. It takes 8-10 hours to complete a full balancing and recharging cycle, yet it does charge quickly as soon as plugged in to a wall outlet. For each 15 minutes of time re-charging, the batteries regain a mile of charge. The batteries also recharge while riding downhill. The p-Series is capable of covering 6-10 miles (10-16 km) on a fully charged nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery, depending on terrain. It takes 4-6 hours to recharge (and quickly regains 1 mile for every 30 minutes charging). Operation Although bicycles and traditional scooters must be "at speed" to balance, the Segway PT can balance while standing still. Yet, a Segway PT must be turned on before it is usable. While it is off, the Segway PT is unable to balance, and the kickstand will not hold a person's weight. The original Segway models were activated using one of three keys: For the new i2 and x2, you use an InfoKey instead to control settings. The Infokey can turn on the PT from up to 15 feet away, as well as turn on beginner's mode (Black Key) or advanced (Red Key), show mileage and a trip odometer, as well as put the Segway into Security mode, which locks the wheels and will set off an alarm if moved, to prevent theft. Once it is turned on, the original Segways enter a "Power-Assist" mode (for help pulling it up steps and ramps) and the new Gen II models enter a "Riderless Balance" mode. In the older models in Power-Assist mode twisting the left handlebar grip like a motorcycle throttle moves it forward and backward. In power-assist mode it is still not balancing and is not safe to ride. Once powered on and in Power-Assist mode, "Balance mode" is entered by holding the Segway level and pressing down its mode button (red or blue in newer models). In Balance mode, the rider mounts and rides. While riding, there is no traditional throttle. Leaning forward accelerates; leaning back decelerates and goes in reverse. Twisting the left handlebar grip now turns the HT to the right or left. The dashboard indicator window on the handlebar indicates battery charge level by a ring of black bars around a green smiling face icon. The face smiles and is backlit in green during standard operation. If the battery runs too low or a subsystem is not functioning well, the Segway face will frown and backlight turn red. If it's unsure of the rider's safety it will perfrom a "safety shutdown" and will vibrate and beep for seven seconds (to warn the rider to dismount) before shutting off. The Segway is turned off by stepping off the platform and then pressing and holding the red or blue-colored mode button until shutdown tones and the face icon's sleeping appearance indicate the shutdown process is engaged. When complete (takes 3 seconds to shutdown all CPUs and subsystems) the Segway and its display turns off. Recalls In September of 2003 the Segway HT was recalled to patch its software to version 12.0 to deal with riders who ignored repeated warnings that the battery was running out. In September of 2006 the Segway PT was recalled to patch its software to version 14.2 to deal with an unusual scenario (bug); if a rider drove at full speed and jumped off and on the unit several times (still at full speed) they could successfully confuse the software and it might try to stop. Segway in popular culture See Segway in popular culture for cultural references and trivia associated with Segway. Notes See Also | ||||||||
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