My Segway Experience

I guess I'm probably a little bit late to Dean Kamen's party, but I finally had the chance to test out a Segway this week. I came across a new retailer in the Shops at Georgetown, and decided to stop in for a test ride. Frankly, I was rather unimpressed. I just don't see how this is going to revolutionize the world, Dean. But, it may make America a little fatter.

I guess it was truly easy to use and to start & stop. It's extremely intuitive to operate, with the exception of the turning function (left and right). The maneuverability intelligence is all integrated into the gyroscopic machinery, except for the silly left/right functions which are controlled by a toggle-switch with your left hand. What's the point?

Trevor Blackwell, a robotics inventor-entrepreneur in the Bay Area, has posted an interesting review on the simplicity of building a self-balancing scooter. He even built a self-balancing unicycle, interesting. I guess if the concept is to take off, then low-cost replicas will help the spread. Because, at the current (discounted promo) price of $3,500, I'm not going to trade in my functioning two legs!