"If we're serious about our environment, we've got to-get serious about the Segway."
Lembit Opik, British politician
When the Segway PT (Personal Transporter), produced by Dean Kamen [b. 1951), was finally unveiled in December 2001, there was a sense of disappointment. Rumors had circulated that the Segway was an antigravity device, and influential figures had described it as "maybe bigger than the Internet."
In fact, the PT—developed over a decade at a cost of $100 million—is a 5,000-dollar gyroscopic scooter. Standing on a platform between two wheels and holding onto a T-shaped handlebar, its users can reach speeds of up to twelve miles per hour (20 kph). With a range of fifteen miles on a single battery, the PT's originality lies in its array of microprocessors and sensors that register the slightest movements. The eco-friendly electric motors in the wheels instantly act upon these deviations from the norm to attain constant perfect balance. Hence, the PT—which does not have conventional brakes but decelerates in order to stop—moves in whatever direction you move.
However, the PT's prohibitive price, its clunky design, and its stigma as a gadget for geeks all account for the fact that the device currently has little success" beyond the commercial sector.
