By Chris Cobbs | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 26, 2002
http://orlandosentinel.com/business/nationworld/orl-biz-trans032602.story
People have been walking for about 3 million years, and what do we have to show for it? Top speed remains 3 or 4 miles per hour, and there's still no cure for tired, aching feet.
However, a potentially better way of "walking" was unveiled Monday at Walt Disney World's Epcot Innoventions.
The gizmo, whose inventor sees it as the biggest step forward since people stopped dragging their knuckles, empowers pedestrians to move three times more rapidly than they could by shuffling along in sneakers or heels.
The Segway Human Transporter is a battery-powered, two-wheeled device that you ride standing up. It accelerates when you lean forward and stops when you lean back, thanks to a gyroscopic balancing system, says inventor Dean Kamen, a physicist and entrepreneur who also invented a portable kidney dialysis machine.
Meant to go virtually anywhere a person would want to go on foot, the Segway HT is being evaluated by the U.S. Postal Service, police departments, airlines, amusement parks and other businesses.
But its biggest use, says Kamen, could be in relieving congestion and automotive pollution in crowded city centers, where office workers could zip around in special HT traffic lanes.
"Through history, a big technological change in transportation brings a change in the way we see the world and define our neighborhood," says Kamen, whose invention has been featured on the cover of Time magazine and on late night TV talk shows.
"Ships enabled us to cross oceans and discover new continents. Railroads turned continents into countries. Interstate highways connect our cities. But covering that last mile on foot is still an issue."
Enter the Segway HT, which whizzes along at a top speed of 12.5 mph and can travel about 17 miles before its battery conks out. Recharging takes 3 to 4 hours.
The Segway's name is derived from the word "segue," meaning a smooth transition from one area to another. Test vehicles at Innoventions on Monday moved smoothly and silently on thick, inflatable tires, responding to the leanings of their drivers.
Consumer models are scheduled to go on sale for about $3,000 late this year. Industrial models, equipped with cargo bags and carts, are also in the works.
Reclaiming downtown areas from idling, exhaust-belching cars and enabling pedestrians to move about more freely and quickly are long-term goals.
"Once we get thousands of Human Transporters out there, we will see parked cars moved off streets and the creation of special HT lanes," Kamen says. "We can retake urban areas for pedestrians."
Despite Kamen's enthusiasm, the Segway HT has yet to demonstrate what impact it will have on lessening congestion. And there's a risk it's being oversold, says Kevin Wilson, executive editor of AutoWeek magazine.
"The in-house joke here is that you'll see a dozen parked outside a health club, because people were too lazy to walk," he says.
"Seriously, I don't think this thing is going to transform our transportation system. If parts of central cities are closed off to automotive traffic, it would certainly have a use. But I don't look for a mass migration from the suburbs into downtown or abandonment of cars and highways."
The device is under consideration for use at Disney World, although it's too early in the evaluation to determine how or when it might go into service, says Mike Gomes, director of Innoventions.
"In the spirit of imagining what's possible, we're looking at many ideas," he says. "For example, we could use it to deliver a key or package at one of our hotels, saving time for our operations people.
"We could create a new show around it or use it to transport cast members. But there's a lot of brainstorming and testing before anything would happen."
Posted March 26, 2002
http://orlandosentinel.com/business/nationworld/orl-biz-trans032602.story
People have been walking for about 3 million years, and what do we have to show for it? Top speed remains 3 or 4 miles per hour, and there's still no cure for tired, aching feet.
However, a potentially better way of "walking" was unveiled Monday at Walt Disney World's Epcot Innoventions.
The gizmo, whose inventor sees it as the biggest step forward since people stopped dragging their knuckles, empowers pedestrians to move three times more rapidly than they could by shuffling along in sneakers or heels.
The Segway Human Transporter is a battery-powered, two-wheeled device that you ride standing up. It accelerates when you lean forward and stops when you lean back, thanks to a gyroscopic balancing system, says inventor Dean Kamen, a physicist and entrepreneur who also invented a portable kidney dialysis machine.
Meant to go virtually anywhere a person would want to go on foot, the Segway HT is being evaluated by the U.S. Postal Service, police departments, airlines, amusement parks and other businesses.
But its biggest use, says Kamen, could be in relieving congestion and automotive pollution in crowded city centers, where office workers could zip around in special HT traffic lanes.
"Through history, a big technological change in transportation brings a change in the way we see the world and define our neighborhood," says Kamen, whose invention has been featured on the cover of Time magazine and on late night TV talk shows.
"Ships enabled us to cross oceans and discover new continents. Railroads turned continents into countries. Interstate highways connect our cities. But covering that last mile on foot is still an issue."
Enter the Segway HT, which whizzes along at a top speed of 12.5 mph and can travel about 17 miles before its battery conks out. Recharging takes 3 to 4 hours.
The Segway's name is derived from the word "segue," meaning a smooth transition from one area to another. Test vehicles at Innoventions on Monday moved smoothly and silently on thick, inflatable tires, responding to the leanings of their drivers.
Consumer models are scheduled to go on sale for about $3,000 late this year. Industrial models, equipped with cargo bags and carts, are also in the works.
Reclaiming downtown areas from idling, exhaust-belching cars and enabling pedestrians to move about more freely and quickly are long-term goals.
"Once we get thousands of Human Transporters out there, we will see parked cars moved off streets and the creation of special HT lanes," Kamen says. "We can retake urban areas for pedestrians."
Despite Kamen's enthusiasm, the Segway HT has yet to demonstrate what impact it will have on lessening congestion. And there's a risk it's being oversold, says Kevin Wilson, executive editor of AutoWeek magazine.
"The in-house joke here is that you'll see a dozen parked outside a health club, because people were too lazy to walk," he says.
"Seriously, I don't think this thing is going to transform our transportation system. If parts of central cities are closed off to automotive traffic, it would certainly have a use. But I don't look for a mass migration from the suburbs into downtown or abandonment of cars and highways."
The device is under consideration for use at Disney World, although it's too early in the evaluation to determine how or when it might go into service, says Mike Gomes, director of Innoventions.
"In the spirit of imagining what's possible, we're looking at many ideas," he says. "For example, we could use it to deliver a key or package at one of our hotels, saving time for our operations people.
"We could create a new show around it or use it to transport cast members. But there's a lot of brainstorming and testing before anything would happen."
