Segway HT
The
Segway 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 HT" stands for "Segway Human Transporter."
Computers and motors in the base keep the Segway upright at all times. Users lean forward to move forward, and back to move backwards. Turning is done mechanically via hand control on the left handlebar. Segway HTs are driven by electric motors at up to 12.5 mph (10 mph in the smaller p-Series).
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).
|
After successful field trials by German police in February 2006, the Segway is on its way towards official approval in Germany. |
The Segway HT 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. To cope with the expected demand, the factory in
Bedford, New Hampshire was originally supposed to be designed to build up to 40,000 units per month.
However, not surprisingly, after so much media hype, sales were much less than these first predictions. During the months following the demonstration in late 2001, three limited-edition Segway HTs were sold on auctions at
Amazon.com for more than 100,000 dollars each to raise money for FIRST. A full year later, in late 2002, Amazon began to take pre-orders for the HTs with first deliveries in March 2003. By April 2003 Amazon, the official site, started regular sales. By mid 2003, Segway allowed a small number of independent dealers, in addition to Amazon and Segway LLC, to also sell Segway products.
The company was rumored to expect to sell between 50,000 and 100,000 units in the first year, but six months later, by September, only 6,000 units had been sold ($36M in sales). The figure was revealed during the voluntary recall of all Segway HTs in
September 2003; the press release described the software hazard behind the recall in these terms: "Under certain operating conditions, particularly when the batteries are near the end of charge, some Segway HTs may not deliver enough power, allowing the rider to fall. This can happen if the rider speeds up abruptly, encounters an obstacle, or continues to ride after receiving a low-battery alert."[
1] The company offered a software upgrade as a remedy, along with a reminder to users to follow proper operating techniques (literally not to ignore warnings that the unit is running out of battery power- the primary cause of the recall).
In
October 2003 the company release a smaller, lighter, less expensive model, the p Series Segway HT (p133) for more urban and pedestrian environments. This is the favorite model of the inventor, Dean Kamen. He is often seen on it with his special briefcase holder avec briefcase (see photo).
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)[
2], 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 HT. In 2006 Josh and others released the documentary film "10MPH" which chronicles this journey and has won best documentary in film festivals. The trip took 101 days leaving from Seattle on
August 8 2004 and finishing in Boston on
November 18 2004.
In early 2005 a new kind of lithium ion battery doubled the range of the Segway HT models i167, i170, and i180 [
3]. The more powerful battery also made possible the first off-road model, the Segway XT.
Although the company has faced disappointments, as of
2005, Segway Inc. is working to increase its sales, likely currently ~$10M/month, to help recoup the investments in
R&D and production. The device's high price (between US$4000 and US$5500, depending upon the model) is believed to be the main factor responsible for demand being so much lower than expected. Segway Inc. has established dealer franchises throughout the
United States where people can examine and test-drive the Segway HTs. It has yet to be determined if the general populace in the US or abroad will soon consider the Segway HT a practical everyday conveyance rather than an expensive toy.
Segway Inc. has signed distribution agreements in several foreign markets, including
Italy and
South Korea. The company has received positive feedback from regulators in
France and
Italy regarding the legal status of Segway riders. The company currently has more than 100 dealers and distributors internationally.
Though its creators believe the Segway HT is ideal for dense urban areas, some Americans believe that US cities (such as
Atlanta,
Houston, or
Los Angeles) were designed to be navigated almost entirely by automobiles through use of
freeways and the
Interstate Highway system and that there's room neither for Segway HTs nor pedestrians. Communities in which the Segway HT 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 HT 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. It's acceptance may also depend on something less complex, the price of gasoline in the United States. If gas passes $4/gallon, alternative forms of transportation may quickly gain respect.
The Segway HT is designed to be used on
sidewalks, other
pedestrian areas, as well as bicycle lanes on city streets depending on local laws. Its footprint is not much bigger than that of a human being. While using Segway HTs on sidewalks is prohibited in a handful of American and European cities, in most locations its use is allowed (and in some places explicitly). Other jurisdictions do not have a current legal definition for the Segway HT, hence making it either completely unregulated and usable, or unusable on either sidewalk or road (depending on the country's legal approach); in such areas, dealers and advocates have been petitioning governments to create suitable regulations and legal definitions.
If the distance to travel is short, as the EPA states that most car trips in the US are less than 5 miles and contain only one person in the vehicle, a Segway HT 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 HT business use, among them police departments, post offices, warehouses, and utility companies. Some of these pilot programs have demonstrated that Segway HTs 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 lithium ion batteries that double range may have altered this in recent years. For example, during a trial by mail-carriers employed by the
United States Post Office to deliver mail on foot, some participants noted that they could not sort mail or hold an umbrella while operating a Segway HT. The participants also complained about the device's battery life; however, the new lithium ion batteries with increased capacity as mentioned above may be changing things.
The Segway HT 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 HT instead of a traditional wheelchair or an expensive iBOT (that costs four to five times as much as a Segway HT) 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 HT for folks with limited capacity to stand for long periods. However, Segway HTs cannot be marketed as medical devices, because Segway HTs 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 HT.
Most of the Segway HT technology is concentrated in its base with the handle being only useful for the
human rider. Stripped of the handle, the Segway HT 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).
The Segway HT 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. Steering is controlled by a twist grip on the left handlebar, which simply varies the speeds between the two motors, rotating the Segway HT (a decrease in the speed of the left wheel would turn the Segway HT to the left).
The Segway HT 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 HT leans forward, therefore offsetting the balance, the HT moves forward to regain balance just as in walking a leg moves forward to retain balance (walking is controlled falling). In the Segway HT, changes from a balanced status are first detected by the gyroscopes. While the Segway HT is tilted forward (off-balance), the spin of the gyroscopes is altered and measured by electrical sensors. These electrical signals are passed on to the onboard computers. The computers calculate the data received from the gyroscopes, and determine how to correct the shift in balance. These calculations are converted to different electrical signals which are sent to the motors, directing each motor to activate in the required direction. In the example presented, with the rider leaning forward, the motors would spin so that the wheels move the Segway HT forward. By moving the Segway HT forward, the base of the unit is brought once again underneath the rider and balance is achieved. Note that this process occurs about 100 times per second[
4], 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 HT 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 HT will move forward from its original position, until the rider restores an upright position on the unit.) This is precisely how the Segway HT 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 HT have undoubtedly felt its governor (speed limiting) mechanism. When the Segway HT approaches the maximum speed of the motors, it intentionally begins to overcompensate the balance correction by speeding the motors up slightly faster than required to maintain the normal upright position. This slightly 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 HT down. If not for the governor, riders would be able to lean farther than the motor can compensate for, like running faster than your legs can keep up with. The Segway HT also slows or stops immediately if the very front of the unit (the control shaft or forward bag) nudges into any obstacle in front of it. The EPA called it one of the safest forms of transportation they had ever tested.
The technology used in the Segway HT 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.
As of 2006, there are two basic versions of the HT available:
* i-Series — i=industrial, general-purpose for companies and individuals, can be used on variable terrain depending on model
* p-Series — p=pedestrian, for individuals in residential and urban areas, use on sidewalks is very easy, smaller with shorter battery life than i-Series
Current i-Series versions being marketed include:
*Segway HT i180 — Human Transporter
*Segway GT — Golf Transporter
*Segway XT — Cross-Terrain Transporter
Several new colorful models were announced on
March 1 2005, aimed more towards the recreational market. Extended range (15 to 24 miles)
lithium ion batteries are also available for between $500 and $1300 depending on how they are purchased.
The price of a Segway HT is between $4,000 and $5,500, depending on the model.
The Segway HT'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[
5] (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 recharge. 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.
As of June 2006, the Segway HT p133 is rumored to be discontinued (although it still appears on the
official Segway website and no official announcement has yet to be issued).
Some detractors note that $200
motor scooters or $100
bicycles provide similar utility.
Although bicycles and traditional scooters must be "at speed" to balance, the Segway HT can balance while standing still. Yet, a Segway HT must be turned on before it is usable. While it is off, the Segway HT is unable to balance, and the kickstand will not hold a person's weight. The Segway is activated using one of three keys:
*Black Key — for beginners. Slowest speed (electronically limited to no more than 6 mph); slower turning rate.
*Yellow Key — for intermediate users and/or sidewalks. Faster speed-up to 8 mph; faster turning rate.
*Red Key — for more advanced users in open areas. Maximum speed-up to 10 mph on p-Series and 12.5mph on i-Series; and max turning rate.
Once it is turned on, the Segway enters a "Power-Assist" mode (for help pulling it up steps and ramps), where 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.
*The Segway HT has been known by the names
Ginger and
IT in the past. The name
Ginger followed the name of the project the Segway branched from, which was to develop a wheelchair able to climb stairs. It was called
Fred Upstairs, after
Fred Astaire — hence
Ginger.
*The invention and development of the Segway HT is the subject of
Code Name Ginger (the paperback edition is titled
Reinventing the Wheel), a book by journalist Steve Kemper.
*The name "Segway" is a
homophone of "
segue" (a smooth transition);
HT is an
initialism for
human transporter.
*The inspiration behind the Segway HT came from the balancing technology of Kamen's innovative wheelchair, the
iBOT, which can climb stairs, and prop itself up onto two wheels, to raise the user into a nearly-upright position. The first iterations of balancing technology were done in early Segway HT models.
*The Segway HT resembles the motorized, gyroscopically stabilized unicycles in the
science fiction short story by
Robert A. Heinlein titled "
The Roads Must Roll."
*The chemist and inventor
David E. H. Jones ("
Daedalus") described a similar kind of servo-stabilized unicycle, called "the unisphere" in a column in
New Scientist magazine on 18 May, 1978.
*The author of an opinion piece in salon.com suggests that Kamen holds that "walking is a remnant of the Dark Ages, an unpleasant time-waster that technology need eradicate" [
6]; this point is often noted by critics of the Segway, who feel that walking is a natural human exercise that should be encouraged, not made obsolete, to offset declining health figures.
*President George W. Bush gave a Segway as a gift to Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi in December 2005. [
7]
*In an episode of
The Simpsons, Kent Brockman is finishing a story saying "... making this the latest Segway scooter crash to claim over one thousand lives." In another episode,
The Seven-Beer Snitch,
Homer Simpson flees a prison mob on a Segway proclaiming "Fly, Segway, Fly!" only to fall off the edge.
*The Segway and its iBOT ancestor were both preceded in concept by the two wheel fire engine of the
comic strip character
Smokey Stover.
*In the
Frasier episode "
The Love You Fake,"
Niles is a Segway tester and is seen riding one throughout the show.
*In
Arrested Development,
G.O.B. owns a Segway HT and is often seen riding it.
*
Shaquille O'Neal is known to own (or have owned) a Segway, as evinced by a tour of his home on
MTV Cribs.
*Two Segways were used during
Peter Gabriel's Growing Up Live/Still Growing Up Live tours by Peter and his daughter, particularly during the Games Without Frontiers song.
*On the Reise Reise tour
Flake Lorenz, the keyboardist from the German rock band
Rammstein, rode a Segway HT during the song
Amerika in a show in
Gothenburg,
Sweden. He accidentally ran into the band's lead singer
Till Lindemann, giving him a bad knee injury which meant Rammstein's Asian tour had to be cancelled.
*
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) professional wrestler
Simon Dean routinely drives a Segway look-alike to ringside before his matches. He has named his Segway look-alike "The Dean Machine".
*
Steve Wozniak (Woz), Apple Computer Founder, was the first consumer to purchase a Segway.
*In the
Family Guy epsiode "Petergeist" (5/7/06), the Griffin family is shown "Rocky VI" at the Swanson household. Rocky Balboa's (animated) manager rides a Segway through Rocky's Bedroom and crashes it into a wall. It was also featured in the episode
8 Simple Rules For Buying My Teenage Daughter when
Neil rides one to a fake
X-Men convention at a motel and comments that "These things usually have Segway parking."
*At the
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition (founded by
Dean Kamen, creator of the Segway), Segway HT's are commonly ridden by competition judges and referees
*During the final episode of
Futurama, Fry and Bender ride Segways to Fry's holophone recital and crash into each other.
*In June 2003, President Bush "failed the Segway test" by falling off, though he "managed to leap to safety, landing on his feet."[
8].
