The fact you could buy a half-decent used car for the same price as a new segway is in my opinion the biggest deciding factor against getting one back then.
Exactly. "Needed the money to run the company" Well if your product is so expensive only rich people can afford it to use just as a goofy gimmick thing you will never succeed. A normal person would buy a high end motorcycle instead for that money. Todays Escooters including Ninebot that we see everywhere today have becone a huge success largley because everyone can afford them and they perform really well and are also not clumsy and goofy like the Segway but a proper and practical vehicle that can also be easily folded and carried. I bought myself one last year for around 450 dollars and it works just great. Its not self balancing or anything but its stable and it takes me where i need to go quickly. Sure the Segway was a cool thing when it first released and i have tested one at a time and i liked the feeling when riding it but as said I clearly see why todays E Scooters is a success and Segway failed.
I just stumbled upon a new crowdfunding project called freebeat Morph 2-in-1 e-Bike, and it seems quite promising! One outstanding feature is that it can be charged indoors, which is a game-changer. With its powerful motor and fat tires, it offers a smooth and adventurous ride in any terrain. The smart technology and fitness integration make it an ideal choice for those looking to stay motivated during indoor and outdoor rides. Plus, the eco-friendly aspect of converting indoor calories into CO2-free miles is commendable. I'm excited to see how the Morph e-Bike will revolutionize the cycling experience!
I remember when they started showing up at theme parks for security. You can't take someone seriously when they're on one. The best thing about the Segway was its role in Paul Blart.
Paul Blart was the final nail in Segway's coffin. While a lot of Americans look like Paul Blart, no one WANTS to look like Paul Blart. They damn sure don't want to pay thousands of dollars to look like Paul Blart.
Why can't you take them seriously? It helps them get around without exerting themselves thus helping them have more energy when they need to actually use it. I mean, of course you can't rely on it solely. You need to get some exercise too. But I can totally see it being useful for security, especially those who need to patrol large spaces.
My mother once told me I should try getting a Segway and I said that I had never seen an actual person on one in public in my entire life. I continued to rant about how unpopular they were when two people came up over a hill on them right in front of us.
In my city they were everywhere for a while. There was a company that even took people on a tour of the city on segways. It was common to see security guards using them. Then all at once people stopped using them.
As a former mall security guard . The Segway patroller 6. Was a badass product. It had 3 wheels . 3 feet off the ground all terrain tires. Had an 50 mile charge . It was designed for university or military/ hospital properties that had many buildings on the same land that were outside. It was fast an reliable. The mall I worked at was a Tanger outlets. An it was huge . Before Covid on Black Friday we had thousands of people you couldn’t even walk. But this thing could make way very easy. Crowd control was a breeze on top of it . When the mall closed at night we would race around it was a great time. Kinda miss that joh
@@GeorgeSukFuk yeah that’s weird , never heard it at all. You’re on some next level deep intelligential thinking. Definitely consider a career in comedy. That was some 4th dimensional shit right there . Hilarious
In case you're too young to remember!! The build up to this thing was enormous. We were told something was coming that was going to revolutionize transportation. A game changer. The hype around this thing went on for half a year. Finally it was released. Everybody went... "Huh?.. what?? within a month it was forgotten about. The only thing it revolutionized was getting around a car factory.
If you ever seen the South Park episode where Mr Garrison invents a super fast traveling device named "IT". The creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said the Launching of the Segway and how they built it up to be the greatest thing ever was the main inspiration for the show.
Bad luck for it to come out less than three months after 9-11 and the World Trade Center massacre. We all had a lot more on our minds than wanky little electric scooters with the wheels on wrong. It’s been a joke ever since the smoke cleared. I’m a little surprised Elon Musk didn’t buy up the company and make it his trademark personal transportation system, for getting over that awkward gap between your front door and the Tesla parked in your driveway.
I think another one of the big issues is that the US as a whole is not built for pedestrian traffic, and the segway was a pedestrian-level vehicle. Many cities do not have decent sidewalks, or sidewalks at all, so attempting to travel around on a segway would be extremely impractical.
depends on parts of the US, in the northeast and parts of the midwest it’s very walkable, while in the sunbelt sprawling cities it’s not very walkable.
Even if they had all that, what you do when you want to go inside a store? How do you "park" it somwhere without no one stealing it (its expensive). Also why not just walking, its good for your health.
Dean is such a nice person. I was in Robotics in high school and we won the state tournament but we only came in 37th in the international championship in Atlanta. He still talked to all my team mates and myself for hours and hours. He really gave his own time to us and I'll never forget that.
@@perfectallycromulent dude he's a nice guy. Founded multiple entire non-profit robotics competitions just to educate and inspire new engineers. Everything doesn't have to be so negative
I had a friend who let me ride his Segway often. Once, I was riding it around the neighborhood and had a few spectators (this was around 2004). I did a demonstration showing how to accelerate and decelerate, but when I leaned back at peak speed to apply the brakes, the system failed and I crashed down on the pavement and slid a short ways. Thankfully I wasn’t injured, though my backside was numb for a bit. Let’s just say the novelty wore off for me.
it failed because the wheel could never adapt to the road we have here (all breakup and unequal) so rural area was a no go. it was not really that portable either, more between a bike and a scooter... could not replace the skateboard for kids, young adult, and could not replace the speed of a scooter either.
Dean Kamen was his own biggest enemy. Before the Segway came out, I remember how over-hyped it was. You are right when you mention that people literally thought it was a teleportation machine or anti-gravity device. When people saw what it was, it was a huge letdown. Every interview I saw with Kamen when the Segway came out he came across as arrogant and obnoxious. He was on Jay Leno once and Jay was being lighthearted and trying to ride the Segway and Kamen was getting angrier and angrier because Jay and the audience wasn't approaching his invention with gravitas and awe. No doubt that Dean Kamen was a genius and invented some very important (and lifesaving) devices, but his ego and hubris seemed unmatched
He probably looked at his device with the scientific eyes - all the interesting and amazing science and engineering that lead to it. But obvs not a shred of marketing sense or popular design ,
@@ccricers I agree with that. His medication pump device and multi-wheel wheelchair really helped improve the quality of life for a lot of people but, yeah, he was out of his lane with the Segway...and being as obnoxious as he seemed to be didn't help...
And yet e-scooters are more popular than ever. Of course these cost $50 per unit when bought in bulk compared to the Segway's $5000. I think it would have been a successful product if they could get the price down to even $300. But 5k is just dead in the water.
@@Jalmaan E-scooters? They have rental companies set up in the summer in most big cities. Companies like Voi, Tier, Bird, Ryde, Bolt. I see literally hundreds of them when walking around downtown.
@@photonfield oh, those things, they're banned in the Netherlands haha, so I always forget they exist. We mostly have rental mopeds (for which you need a drivers license)
I had completely forgotten about Segways so much, that I didn't even know the whole thing about the dude that bought them plunging off a cliff on one. Company Man has met my "learn one new thing today" goal.
Several years ago I had an opportunity to ride an "off-road" Segway at a NH ski resort during their summer operations. After 5-10 minutes climbing the learning curve we were set free a bit and loosely guided on some local trails. I must say, it was ridiculously fun. Within a half hour we could ride no hands, do donuts, and more. Going down hills was a bit scary until you trusted the machine, but overall it was a blast. Much better than the zip lines we also tried that day. The "scooters" where much more interactive and the experience lasted a while.
I have one since 11 years. Used it for 12000miles. I live in Stockholm Sweden and am handicapped to the extent that I can stand up and walk with a stick short distances after a motorcycle accident in 2005 after which I was confined tyo a wheelchair for 6-7 years before able to stand up. The Segway completely changed my life. I can again get out in forests, go swimming in lakes in the summer. with the 20 miles (plus) on a charge I go around town, use it for myshopping with a back pack etc. It's a pity it got thought of in a certain way that is not at all deserved as it is a wonderful thing. I use it extensively every day and am still to break or wear out a single part on it. I even use the original battery pack still, even though it this year is starting to sag a bit from before. So that is getting changed soon. But hey, I rode it half way around the globe, so I'm good with that.
@@Wargasm54 What a nonsensical and inconsiderate comment. That's like saying "So you had an incident while walking and you decided to walk again?". Motorbikes go several orders of magnitude faster than a Segway. There is no comparison.
I never had any hopes for it even though i was a "tech nerd". It cost as much as a motorcycle, rode not as fast nor as far, can only have one passenger, and is more unsafe than an ordinary kick scooter. It was also extremely over hyped, i was like "wtf????" when i finally saw it revealed on TV.
@@mahzorimipodDo your research before labeling something a cult. FIRST changes lives. Thousands of high schoolers had their career paths illuminated through their involvement in the program, myself included. Implying that the program exists for little more than to stroke Dean's ego is not only wrong, but insulting.
That technologies only real practical use was with stair climbing wheelchairs. Segway's themselves were just stupid and dangerous, and if you felt otherwise as an adult; you should learn to give a bit of healthy cynicism towards hype. As a kid always wanted to ride one though.
@@skunkfac3 Dude's not incorrect. Dean may have been this great guy and influential and all that jazz. And the technology behind the segway may be impressive. But acting like anything a genius creates is automatically some revolutionary product is part of that cult-of-personality.
My family (myself, my wife and my 2 kids) did a Segway ride thing at a park at Lake Taupo in New Zealand a number of years ago - it was fun and they were mostly easy to control, though reversing one apparently requires some kind of boss level skills as my wife and I both fell off them when trying to reverse. A few years later, cheap Chinese "hoverboards" hit the market, and we bought our kids those - essentially a small Segway without the handle bars and only a couple of hundred bucks each. The kids were mad for them for about a year, then they lost all interest - and now they sit gathering dust in the corner of the garage (just after we'd spent more money on replacing the batteries in them too). Instead they both go everywhere on their bikes - which are really a far better and more affordable solution to getting around than the Segway ever could be.
classic case of "it's just a fad". I'm glad they use bicycles tho. So it wasn't for nothing. And who knows... in a few years they might remember these Mini Segways again and develop a new appreciation for it and how awesome parents you are for having bought them for your kids. :)
I think I’ve seen a Segway once in real life. I’ve seen those “hoverboards” more times. There was a guy who rode on one around my college campus and my sister even got one for her birthday. I tried it out a few times before she was done with it and I thought it was a neat little novelty. I think it still works it just needs a new battery charger because our uncle’s puppy chewed up the cord when he brought it over for Thanksgiving.
This is what killed the hoverboard: the only video you could ever find of them involved mom getting on it to try it and smashing her head on a tile floor 1.8 seconds later, and the shot cutting off before you could see the blood. 99.999% of all parents see that and say, "I'll get my kid one of these about half past never. Lifelong doctor bills is just what I want. Hard pass!"
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy what killed the hoverboard were all the incidences of them catching fire and burning people's homes down because they had cheap lithium batteries
I remember the hype. They didn't call it a Segway in the beginning, they called it "It", which was widely understood to stand for "individual transport". And of course there were numerous articles in newspapers and magazines titled "What is IT?" It (!) failed because it didn't live up to the hype. For one thing it was far heavier and bulkier than the public had been led to expect. Most people expected it to be lightweight and easy to stow away, perhaps in some kind of carry bag. If you rode one to your local mall or city centre, where would you park it? It was too big to take into a shop, a bar or a cinema, but too light and valuable to leave on the street, secured only with a bike lock. And then there was the price. Another "revolutionary form of transport" that turned out to be a dismal failure was the C5 car.
Im sure if they did what Uber is doing now with lime scooters it could’ve worked. It had potential, but they hyped it up like it was going to be revolutionary technology
Before my brother passed away , he was handicapped so that he couldn't walk even a short distance ... He had purchased a Segway PT and a Segway Ninebot ... He rode them all the time , and they were as reliable as the day is long ... It was funny because the older folks that lived in his senior apartment building , always called them " witchcraft " , L O L ... Anyway , after his passing , I inherited them and they are great fun !!
Disney had designated Segway tours at Epcot for a few years because it seemed “futuristic”. Years later there was a class action suit by a group of disabled guests who were upset that their own personal Segways were banned from use in the theme parks. It was a great idea to help people be more mobile but just impractical and safe in public spaces.
My lasting memory of the Segway is this: I was jogging around my college campus at night in 2006 (give or take a year). Very few people lived on-campus and it could be quite quiet at night (possible to run a full lap around the entire campus without passing by another person). As I was running, I saw a group of police officers (maybe 9 or so) on Segways… in a ‘Flying V’ formation… just rolling down the empty street on this empty campus. And I laughed so hard after they went by. I just remember thinking “What the hell are they doing? Are they flying home for the winter? 😂” I think that might have been the first time I had actually seen a Segway in-person (actual real world use). And my reaction to finally seeing the product in-person was uncontrollable laughter. 😂 And it wasn’t even the product itself I was laughing at - it was the situation in which I saw the product being used. But that situation made me think of the product as basically a joke (whereas before I hadn’t really formed an opinion on the product).
by contrast, there are a few useful places for them - I live in MN, and there's a neat river road going along the Mississippi and over a few cool pedestrian bridges. There's a Segway tour that goes at least several miles - opening it up to a lot more peeps than otherwise.
I think the real problem was it was too dang expensive. I actually rode on one and it's easy to quickly understand how the vehicle works. I could see myself riding this around town every day. Segway also should have branched out and offered different versions. They had a working prototype ATV. It still could use the gyroscopic stabilizer. You simply popped a wheelie and it would fold the front wheels in. Then you rode it like a normal 2-wheel Segway. I think it was a mistake to not offer it. I would have bought one for sure.
The Segway directly lead to Hoverboards, one wheels, mono-wheels, and a number of other personal transportation devices which people are still using. While the Segway itself may have "failed", it had a significant impact that still is seen today.
The biggest issue is legality. I remember getting a hoverboard years ago and it was great! They were more practical for getting to class than biking, could easily be picked up like a skateboard, looked great, and were cheap ($150). The only problem was the college/university, city, and even private dormitories all banned them quickly. It was fun while it lasted.
It really did help pave the way for Escooters and Ebikes. Both of which are FAR more popular than the Segway every was and have mainstream traction especially in large cities
Segway 'let to' those devices, because the patent expired. Once the patent expired, no one bought a Segway for 5-10X the price of the Chinese knockoffs that soon followed.
I remember this release. It was insane. People KEPT talking about it and how it was going to change the world. Except no one knew what it was. Then finally they showed it off, and everyone was like "well...that's kind of stupid, isn't it?" 😂
I met Dean at the FIRST Robotics NYC Regional 2012. He not only founded this high school competition, but stayed hands on with it, and spent so much time with so many of our teams. He set the career path for probably hundreds of thousands of kids for STEM fields. Such a nice guy. Unfortunate that the Segway didnt take off for him. But to be honest, it was always weird.
I didn’t know that he was the founder. I had been on my school’s robotics team that same year, but we were a small and new team whose robot was over 50% wood 😅
Guess he really wasted his life, then. He needed somebody to pull him aside and say, "Think about what you're trying to do here, because you're spending a helluva lotta time and money to do what tricycles have been doing for centuries."
@@samuelglover7685 He started a robotics organization to inspire high schoolers to get into STEM and invented many things to help disabled people and people receiving medical care. I wouldn't call that wasting your life.
@@samuelglover7685 This video also missed how the Segway basically became the "hoverboards" of the 20teens the sold tons of units. In the US the "hoverboards" ended up being banned in most indoor spaces and air travel (because of the batteries).
I tried to ride a Segway...TWICE. Both times I found it extremely difficult to maneuver in a typical sidewalk environment and almost impossible to stop. Handling around pedestrians and other Segway riders was nerve-wracking. If you get up some speed and a 4-year-old future track star runs in front of you, just start selling everything because that parent is going to own you. Yes, it was a brilliant piece of tech that needed 5 or 10 more years to make it safe for the average human at the DMV. And, yes, I consider them a joke, even when I see the police using them.
Next you'll say we need to make sure " the tech is safe & effective " before we start sending heavily armed Robocops to apprehend dangerous juveniles out skipping school..... loser...😜
Rode one twice myself, fell once and it's not workable if anyone is getting too close, but for something like what I did (outdoor tours of a vineyard) it's really up there in terms of fun.
You probably need more than two attempts to get proficient at operating a Segway. The problem as I see it is that there is this notion that it nearly drives itself, and that no skill is required to use it. That is totally wrong. Yes, it is very easy to ride but to operate safely requires the user to put in some effort on learning how to operate it proficiently. It absolutely can stop extremely quickly - but a first timer will not be able to do that. When the Segways were first sold you had to get training on them, a Segway rep would come to your place (for free*) and make sure that you understood how to operate it - it was part of the cost of buying one. *meaning that the cost was built into the purchase price.
This. That right there is crazier than most of the stuff Hollywood can come up with. It's definitely high on my personal list of reasons to never own one of those things.
I looked up several articles and none of them say the accident happened because of the segway. although the way Company man says it, it does sound that way. its too sensational to be true
I grew up in Manchester, NH, where Dean Kamen's DEKA is located, and I distinctly remember my high school physics teacher saying "it" (Segway prior to going public) was a solution in search of a problem.
Segways remind me of the “people mover”, the moving walkway concept that was supposed to be the transportation of the future. It’s one of those things that is useful only in a very specific set of circumstances. You can’t carry anything in your hands, you need a clear path that’s wider than your body lest you run over someone’s toes, and the added height means you’re even more likely to hurt yourself if you fall… yeah, I think I can see why they didn’t catch on.
This is the problem. Even if they could "replace walking", how would the transition ever happen? Ever seen an NYC sidewalk during rush hour? They had to be banned because there was no place for them
It was trying to solve a non existent issue no one asked to be solved. In other words was a solution to a problem that never existed. E-bikes are actually useful for commuting and killed the Segways off. Then now you have E scooters
This is kind of how I thought about it too. A bicycle is faster, half as wide, costs 1-10% as much, and is street legal. The Segway looked cool but it wasn't a better solution than what was already out there.
The hype on the Segway when it was about to be released was just astonishing. Kamen himself was primarily responsible with his statements about changing the world and being as advanced above the car as the car was to the horse and buggy. Most people expected some type of flying personal transporter, as that was the only thing they could think of that was this revolutionary. When the Segway was revealed as a walking-speed clunky scooter, people were so underwhelmed and disappointed that the entire thing became a joke unto itself. If Kamen hadn't raised expectations so much, it might have been more successful.
Great successful innovations usually start in a garage and work up. When you try to start from the top, the instant huge overhead and expectation weigh heavy
My dad ran a huge food plant at the time Segway’s came onto the scene. I think he might be the only one in the world who saw the vision and implemented it in a way that made sense. The foreman used to walk across the huge facility on foot… it took them 15 minutes to get across the place. Way too much time was spent walking from place to place. 5 minutes on Segway. Made everything significantly more efficient. A massive warehouse with basically zero foot traffic(for Segway’s to run over or to mock the Segway rider as they drive by), and clearly delineated paths for Segways is the only place a Segway makes sense. He said before they came out with Segway… he thought about using bicycles or rollerblades.
Local police in my hometown actually used to patrol on these but they only used them on a few main streets and eventually phased them out with bycicles
I remember before they were revealed that there was some speculation it might be some sort of hovercraft (à la “Back to the Future “. When it was revealed to be a scooter, the disappointment was palpable.
The other big rumor was that it ran off hydrogen it would extract from H20….I actually heard that on the radio and the company did nothing to squelch the rumors
So much science fiction is improbable for the simple reason there is just not enough energy to propel, lift, hover like people dream of doing. Futurists usually get things wrong, but then we have something like the PC, very few saw that coming or the impact it would have on our lives. You can make anything fly as long as you put a big enough engine on it, and have a powerful enough energy source,
I like that they normalized the auto-balancing technology. When I saw it as a kid at a science center, I was blown away. Like over a decade later I got to ride an off-road version and thought it was also awesome, but I knew the price didn't make sense (and I was still pretty young) Cut to now and I have this kick-ass electric unicycle that uses the same tech, and it's the coolest thing I've ever used.
Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts on the Segway technology! It's amazing how advancements in auto-balancing have evolved over the years. If you're into outdoor adventures and camping, you might want to check out the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series. It offers a massive capacity, powerful output, and fast recharging options, making it a reliable backup power solution for your outdoor excursions. Happy camping!
My neighbor had a dealership and (tried to sell) them from his garage. I think a local attorney bought the all terrain version and I would see him drive it around the neighborhood for about a year or so, until he seemed to disappear.
Dean Kamen lived about 5 minutes from where I grew up. We once saw him riding a Segway past my middle school and a small piece fell off the back. We pulled up in our car and told him that, he thanked us, and then just kept going. Wonder if he ever truly cared about the product, as that was back in the late 2000s and he had moved onto other products already
You have to hand it to this guy, as regards medical appliances this guy was a genius. The Segway was so hyped up reminded of sir Clive Sinclair and his C5.
Very interesting. One of my temp jobs in college was this - I got to "test drive" the i-Bot 3000 wheel chair. They had us do a break in of the system before sending off to the customers. I got to do this for 4 months. The wheel chair climbed stairs, and did in fact, stand up! This was in 2006.
@@aurenkleige I have been around wheelchair users since about 2000. the only time I saw this wheelchair was at the Expo where they were trying to sell them. You don't see them around because IF there is one glitch in the computer, at the right time, the user can easily be way more injured, or die. . The chair is not trusted to be 100%, therefore, people are not willing to pay so much for a small benefit. Maybe they are good for steps, which makes them impractical for everything else. ( including weight ) Also, in America, there has been a huge movement to make things and places more accessible. Still trending that way.
@@coachbrandon01 That does make some sense. Shame someone doesn't come around and make one that is less expensive and safer though. Tech has come a long way since 2000; I'm sure it is doable. Besides, while yes, places are trending towards accessibility, it isn't always a guarantee, and especially places like small businesses might have a tricky time of it if they have to work with inaccessible infrastructure out the gate.
@@aurenkleige They sold quite a bit of them in the 4 months I was there, however in that time I found out that they were priced at something like $30,000 at the time. Yes, they had the backing of Johnson & Johnson, (I remember the reps being in the plant) but I don't think a lot of people could afford that much of a wheelchair.
Your point about it not living up to the hype is SPOT ON! I remember hearing about this brand new invention that was going to change our lives forever and then when I saw it, I was like “what.. that thing “? 😅
Well, one reason is that it was so fucking EXPENSIVE. Nothing can justify the crazy price: $5,000 when it first came out. Yes, FIVE THOUSAND BUCKS. Nope, no way. I'd rather buy an old used car with that kind of money.
Given that onewheels and other self-balancing devices have become pretty commonplace, it's clear that the basic idea and tech were sound innovations, and that mostly it was the missteps you mentioned that stopped them from being successful. I would have loved to see some comparisons in this video (or maybe a new video) to those successful derivative products.
I rode one around Berlin on a tour and it was actually pretty fun and surprisingly manoeuvrable. We definitely covered much more of the city than we could have on foot. But yeah it felt like a laugh and super lame, but fun and convenient. I think the ridiculous price was what kept it from taking off
I've done E bikes and Segway multiple times in various places around the world, all during tours. The learning curve was about 15 minutes and they were both fun and allowed further travel than walking and e-bike is especially helpful going uphill. It's different experience on each. The Segway is vertical and smaller footprint than a bike. Don't know about the law in each locale so not sure how practical to ride the Segway if not in tour. Where a bike or e-bike you pretty much has no issue if ride on the road. For owning one it's not practical for me for the price, maintenance, distance etc. So only ride them on tours when they are still available. Very good video BTW, just subscribed.
When I was in middle school the brother of a friend of mine, who had a problem with his hips and couldn’t get around easily, rode a Segway to/from/around school and would often let me ride it. It was a custom Segway that had this massive tires and overall looked pretty cool.
I actually own a ninebot S - I can say they are MUCH better than previous segways. They do not have handles anymore - you steer by tilting your legs left and right so its hands-free. They also made the wheels quite a bit smaller, which I find helps ALOT in making them look "cooler". The ones with the giant wheels and handles just look CLUNKY. The new ninebots are actually a ton of fun. Not $5000 either, like $700CAD to buy.
I never tried one, but my first impression when I saw the reveal on morning tv, it looked like something for a lazy person. Then, a couple years later, my experience first hand. I worked security at a museum and some rich person wanted to bring it in to the museum. We wouldn’t allow it BECAUSE of the report of accidents at that point and we were afraid he would topple into a sculpture or painting. He insisted he needed it for medical reasons which, I find hard to believe since you must stand up to use it, but he eventually got his way. It left tread marks all over the gallery.
There are medical conditions which make bending your knees harder so walking is hard while you’re still able to stand fine but considering the safety concerns I doubt someone who actually has difficulty walking would buy one
I've dealt with the "lazy" comments for 10 years now. When you're suddenly disabled, you strive for ANYTHING that will give you any sense of independence again.
@@tymesho that’s great, but as I said. Because of the orientation one uses to operate this, it’s hard to see the disability. I don’t claim to know everything, we(museum staff) thought it was a phony excuse. Handicap aside, let’s say you’re healthy. Why on EARTH would anyone use one over a bike?
@@jime6688 Yeh, no, I wasn't insinuating your situation, and you're right again, disabilities create disadvantages for all extremities when you have just one. I was expressing the mindset created when you lose just a fraction of mobility. Peace~
I was a part of Dean Kamens FIRST robotics league in highschool. I remember bringing the Segway and Wheelchair out at the National Tournament at Disney World and it was amazing. The Segway might not have been successful but I'm eternally grateful for Mr Kamen for creating FIRST. It was one of the BEST experiences of my entire life.
@@oveidasinclair982 Looking at that pathetic and cringe 55 year old soccer mom sense of humor with that bird video of yours. I wouldn't wager you're very interesting either Oveida.
I bought a ninebot Segway a couple of years ago for around $500 and love it! Added a handlebar to it and it is a blast to ride. My first Segway ride was the original ($$$) Segway on a city tour and I was hooked. I’m currently upgrading mine to go more off-road, specifically for riding on Washington State beaches! I’m in my 60’s btw and it never fails to put a huge smile on my face! 😁
You should put a giant white sheet over yourself and the machine and ride it at night to make people think they see a ghost moving. That'd be cool and scary. 😀
@@robertnowak7098 A Chinese company (surprise, surprise) that bought out Segway. The good thing is they came up with a much more affordable version. The bad thing is that now they seem to putting most of there efforts into scooters.
I was a teenager back then and the hype was there but it was so expensive that it was not only unaffordable to me but also nobody I knew, including full-time working adults, bought one. It quickly had the image of a cool toy for super rich people and thus buying one ever was not even a thought that crossed my mind.
Them becoming a joke really wouldn't have killed it if it was just cheaper and had more utility. Those "hover boards" in the 2010s are basically the same thing without the handle (less safe but WAY cheaper). Great video as always! Thanks for that blast from the past!
Exactly what I said. I've never seen a Segway in person but I see e-scooters and hoverboards every single day, literally hundreds of them, they're EXTREMELY popular in big cities now like where I work. I'm surprised he glanced over them completely at the end! The Segway Ninebot is actually fairly popular as far as scooters go, and I see more people on scooters than bikes at this point It's kinda funny cause when I was growing up adults riding scooters was considered a big joke, but now you see everyone from teens to the elderly riding them all over the city
One of the futurists that got to see what the "Segway" was before it was released to the public, has claimed that what he was shown wasn't anything at all like what was released. I've always wondered what it was that he saw.
@@realDonaldTrump420 perhaps that's why they named the company "Segway", as an homage to this original, unreleased device since it would allow a person to segue from one place to another. Instantly. Like a segue.
The rise of ebikes and escooters makes me think Kaman was /mostly/ ahead of his time. Electrified personal transit is definitely going to be a big thing in the coming 2 decades.
To an extent. But I think ebikes and escooters have several advantages over the Segway - they're lighter and smaller (and can be designed to fold small enough to put in a car, bus, train, under the office desk etc), cheaper and simpler (none of the complex gyroscopes other than the ones in your inner ears), and can still be used when you've run out of power - or more likely you don't run out of power because you're using the electric as an assist rather than full propulsion. They're also more intuitive. If the Segway had been practical then it would have been of its time, not ahead of it.
I knew it was a good idea to get skilled at building, fixing, and customizing bicycles. I've already motorized a few, and sold many without a motor. I'm about to be rich.
A think the big problem with the segway is deep-rooted in the design itself. I mean, why does it need to have only one axle? That's the only reason it needed the gyro-self-balancing tech in the first place. It created a problem and a solution for it. That's why electric scooters ended up being a lot more successful. They are basically just a lightweight, relatively cheap, simple, old means of transport, but electrified. With very little learning curve. Plus now we have the tech to rent them conveniently on the spot. I never liked the segway, nor the electric scooters of today (even the rentables are way too fast to not be a safety hazard imo), but I think that small and portable electric personal transport has a big future, especially with the new battery tech.
You have some things backwards. The self-balancing technology was created for a different product and they were trying to use it to create a product for a wider audience. Segways don't have a single axle, they have two motors, and self balancing isn't for keeping the vehicle upright, it's how the rider signals the machine to accelerate, maintain speed, and brake. The fact that the technology is alive and well in electric unicycles, which are superior to electric scooters in almost every way, is a pretty clear indication that self-balancing wasn't the problem.
Went on a Segway tour roughly 20 years ago. It was a blast. Made me want one of my own until I found out it was $5500.00. Too much for me to afford but it was a blast to ride.I never felt unsafe while on it.
You’re pretty much nailed it, especially all the accidents and it being turned into a big joke. But I’ll add one more. It was a solution in search of a problem. All the technology is certainly very interesting. I don’t see where it solves any problems in my life, especially for the cost.
I had a marketing class in college and the final project was try to come up with a marketing plan for this thing for college students. Yes, college students.
You’d have to change some stuff about the product, but just turn it into the Hoverboard. That thing was big on colleges and is pretty much the same thing as the Segway just without handles
@@charliehertz4847you gotta have good marketing to get folks to drop $200 on a hoverboard that doesn’t hover 😂 Every one of my friends that had one ate shxt and busted their azzes and rightfully so 🤣 thats what they get for following trends and not stop to think before they made the purchase lmao
My friend's dad had a couple company Segways and one day we decided to race them down the business hallway. Long story short I lost control and ran mine right in to a wall creating a huge hole. Weirdly I never heard anything about it after, unsurprising we never rode them again 😂
Ive never laughed at somebody dying irl before but like, he bought the entire segway company and then rode a segway off a cliff thats insane hahaha I kinda want one now
I tried one once for fun and it was SO impressive how well developed and easily controlled it was. I have terrible balance and never could do skates or skis or boards or anything, but the Segway too seconds to master. But it cost more than all the cars I've owned combined, lol.
One of the biggest issues I thought was how big/wide it was. I think the hover boards are dumb, and those are a far smaller, better version of the Segway. I remember my neighbor bought one of the first Segways and after using it a few times around the block, I never saw him use it again lol. We lived in the suburbs, so he really couldn't go anywhere with it. If he tried to use the sidewalks or the bike lanes, I'm sure he would've just pissed people off because of how wide they were.
I remember thinking the thing was too cumbersome to be very practical. I’m pretty sure that some law enforcement agencies in the USA bought them for officers to walk the beat with. I remember thinking that they would bump into a lot of things in pedestrian areas, especially if they tried to chase anyone. Another they were touted for was as a transportation for the disabled and elderly. I’m pretty sure that a Segway is wider than the long established and much cheaper mobility scooter. Imagine trying to get a Segway on and off of mass transit all of the time? One of the most pointless inventions of history.
Yep - the "practical" version nowadays is an electric unicyle (self balancing, only one wheel). It is to the segway as a motorcycle is to a car. Super nimble, tiny footprint, fast and fun as help. Look it up :)
My experience exactly. I would regularly ride my bike on the lakeside bike paths and the Segway would easily take up half of the path. That was if they stayed to the side which they frequently did not. And when they appeared in groups it was a bit of a nightmare.
@@jordanb722 I think electric scooters did what segway was supposed to do. They can pack in roughly same volume and they are cheaper and then rent scooters became a thing and at the same time it became one of the most hated vehicles.
Another one of its downfalls is that it just plain looked ridiculous. A lot of people didn't want to be seen riding something that looked like an old fashioned push lawnmower.
In my late 60's, I can walk but not very far. And there are few public transport options in the village. I would really like a Segway to get around. Perhaps the company would have been a success had it marketed the HT as a medical device to the growing population of aging adults.
It was an intriguing experience that I recall from the age of 9 when my father, the owner of a golf club, took me to his workplace. On that particular day, the CEO of Segway was present, attempting to persuade my father to purchase a few Segways or possibly even replace the golf carts with them. My father was keen for me to try one, but at that precise moment, one of the individuals demonstrating the Segway fell face-first onto the concrete, sustaining an injury. Despite the CEO's assurance that the Segway was not dangerous and that helmets would be provided, I politely declined the offer. I remember reflecting on the incident later, thinking that perhaps the technology was not quite ready for everyday use, but that I might consider purchasing one if it became safer. Your video brought back this memory, and I would like to extend my gratitude for sharing it. Thank you for the video 👍
The Segway was interesting, I rode one once at Disneyworld Epcot and it worked fine. The problem was the cost, footprint (too wide), and could never supplant the electric scooter, or regular bicycle for that matter.
We rented these on vacation a few years ago at Biltmore Estate. We were in upper 60’s age. The leaning position irritated my husband’s back. I never felt quite in control like I do when riding my bike. It’s not a device designed for Seniors.
I remember when I first looked at the Segway as a recent engineering graduate around 2001 and I wondered what on earth the thing could be used for (I was a bit negative back then); my more positive former classmates told me if it’s intended users and it included the elderly & disabled. I thought that was as silly as the other touted uses for the Segway. What could it do that a much cheaper & already widely available mobility scooter couldn’t already do )and for the most part: do better). And I also wondered if it was good for the elderly & disabled to have to stand up straight on these things for prolonged periods would be ideal, especially given the issues both have with stiff muscles and worn joints. And wouldn’t they be a nightmare to try and board & depart mass transit/public transport with? Looks like after more try an 20 years you have confirmed my suspicions. I really could never see many practical usages for the Segway, it looked like the next step in laziness; a way to avoid walking or cycling.
I noticed that tourists tend to use them much more than locals. I always wondered if there was an increased risk since the rider is moving at a faster pace than everyone else around them while having much less familiarity with the space they are navigating. I hope you could try a motorized scooter. I think they would be good for Biltmore Estate.
I'm sad to hear they've stopped production of the Segway. One of my favorite activities when visiting a new city is a Segway tour. It's a quick way to get around a downtown area so you get to see a lot in a short amount of time, and you get to ride a Segway which is fun to ride (and you don't get tired from a day of walking). I hope that Segway tours don't go away.
I always thought Segways look really fun and cool to ride on, but after seeing the failures and mishaps it had throughout the years, yeah I’m glad that I didn’t own one. It’s a great idea in concept, but the execution is not really high. It’s pretty funny that your new video is released on my bday today!
I went to Dean’s house for winning the FIRST Robotics world championship. Everyone ate lunch on his helicopter pad and he has a train engine in his living room. He also invented those coke freestyle machines. The winning teams also toured his development HQ and I really think he just makes whatever he wants no matter how hard it is to make because he has company’s who invested and buy anything he makes. He makes the impossible and sells every aspect of it and uses the money to poor into the next project.
Whoah, had no idea the winners toured his home! I got his signature on the back of a 7461 Sushi Squad shirt, got it in a trade for two of my teams shirts which was 100% worth it
I think the number one here is in fact the price. When I wanted to buy one in Europe it was about 6500 Eu... witch is insane considering that a small car war 9000 Eu. Many products that were unaffordable at the first never caught the market share. If at the beginning there is a big boom in sales, after that people see that the product is used and that builds confidence in the ideea or brand.
I think Segway still had a legacy that was unexpected, with similar gyroscope-controlled single-driver electric transporters such as hoverboards and onewheels.
I spent years as a Segway tour guide near SF. It was a really fun job. I did see a number of injuries over the years, and you can really hurt yourself. It is no less safe than a bike, though. I never owned one, too expensive.
With a bike, at normal speeds, you can extend a foot to one side or the other, anchored in the center and breaking a fall. With a Segway that isn't an option - it's face down or on your back. I guess a complement to the goofy helmet would be knee pads, elbow pads, and leather gloves to save the skin on you palms.
@@CitrusCountyBeatnik Yes and more impotently you can brake very hard on a bike before its any danger of flipping forward. Also bikes are much faster.
@@CitrusCountyBeatnik You can just lean back on a Segway and step off. I put thousands of miles on both Segways and Bikes, and my experience is neither is really more dangerous than the other. I fell once on a Segway while trying to go up a hill way steeper than they are designed to do. But, I've also had a bike frame just fail while going about 30 MPH and broke my wrist. That's just my experience though.
Even if segways are no longer around, we've seen it's (albeit equally misfortunate) legacy in other personal transportation devices. Hoverboards were way bigger than the segway was a few years ago, yet suffering from some build quality and safety issues. Recently I've seen a few people riding around on something that looked like a onewheel, only that the device was a lot narrower and the wheel was perpendicular. Even if the segway was a financial failure, it has definitely been successful at inspiring the new generation of inventors.
A thing like a Segway is never an investment. When and why was it that we began to call any expensive toy we bought an "investment".? Investments make a profit. If that thing you're buying isn't going to appreciate in price and then have a market to sell it at a profit or see a return of any kind, IT AIN'T AN INVESTMENT !!!
@@williampotter2098 Must be a recent trend. I saw someone on TH-cam a couple years ago, calling an expensive hobby an investment. Same idea... _"I spent money, therefore it's an investment."_
Fantastic machine, purchased one 8 years ago but stopped using it about 7 years ago. Not because I did not like it, it was big, it was heavy and difficult to transport in my car. I started using the Segway minipro, it was light 27 pounds, it was easy to use, it was hands-free. I could drink coffee and talk on a cell phone at the same time. I have gone over 2,500 miles on them and now have more than one. Fell 3 times in 7 years only because of hitting obstructions. I am 81 years old and take it everywhere, car shows fleamarkets, and keep one in the frunk of my Tesla.
@nickclarkuk Everyone thinks it's a hoverboard, I have to explain that it's a Segway and I can not ride a hoverboard. I've let a lot of people ride it and no one fell.
My brother asked me to ride a segway at the state fair because the 1200 unit appartment complex near the University of Chicago was considering buying several Segways as an aminity for commuting faculty and students at the University. I found the stearing, which at the time used a thumb control lever to be counter intuitive and that it was quite capable of spining like a top and flinging you the hell off making it to much of a liability to provide to unpracticed riders. The accident compilations on TH-cam have cemented my belief that I made the correct recommendation.
My local science museum used to have an exhibit where you could ride a Segway around a course made up of traffic cones, and this was the only time I ever used a Segway. Not sure if they still have it but since Segways are discontinued it was probably removed at some point. Edit: they still have it
I was a kid when Segways were introduced and I remember seeing people taking Segway tours around DC and being so jealous because you had to be 18+ for those tours and my parents never let me ride one… and now I see why!
The first time I rode one was on a tour in Washington DC. It was a lot of fun. I took another tour on one in Berlin a few years later. They were great and fun for tours.
I thought that this device probably was one that people with mobility issues might have considered. Except that the same mobility issues would have made it difficult to use. A person with arthritis might not be able to stand very long, for one thing. And it seemed to be something that would take a lot of clearance space to use inside a house. It's hard to imagine very many situations this would work in.
I am a 70 year old One Wheel rider and I remember when the Segway was introduced. My 10 year old son and I were at an event in Dallas and they had a demonstration area for the Segway, we both loved it. A lot of people look at me funny while out riding the OneWheel but they just can't understand the draw until it is tried. If you want the enjoyment of the ride you have to accept some basic concepts that you will take a fall from time to time on a balancing vehicle be it a Segway or a OneWheel. I do believe they oversold the Segway, I remember Dean doing the interviews and stating it was going to change the world.
Imagine posting all of that on TH-cam. A video hosting platform. Yet, you have zero videos of you on a "One wheel" whatever that is. Unicycle? Regardless, I don't even care. I would just love to watch a 10 year old fall off of a vehicle on concrete and just brush it off like nothing. Please upload some videos of you showing everyone how you ride a one wheel.
@@eriklarson9137 What a weird (and kind of embarrassing) comment... Imagine posting all that in response to a 70 year old person just sharing their relevant experience on a video discussing the topic. Again, weird.
Here in the UK we had a similar 'phenomenon' in the 1980s - the Sinclair C5. It was launched in January 1985 to great fanfare and the same sort of high expectations and hype that would later be used for the Segway. It was going to replace the personal car etc etc. However, in common with the Segway, it was similarly impractical, had only a 20 mile range, maxed out at 15mph, was perceived as dangerous and became a huge joke although it was relatively cheap. Very few were sold and by August 1985, the company had failed and shut down.
It a common tread in transportation innovation they are goofy,expensive and slower the Segway,Sinclair c5,microcars,invacar,Renault twizy,Citroen ami earlier ev cars ect
I think the C5 was supposed to be a little more like a Tesla (well - an electric Austin metro) But the money to develop it wasn't there and neither was the technology to actually build it, 20 odd years before Tesla. But the odd thing that came out was not what was intended.
@@Rapscallion2009 Clive Sinclair had a track record of 'boosting' and promoting companies and hooking investors on concepts and was successful at it but few of the ideas actually worked. The C5 was useless and his 'Black Watch'. "All electronic, nothing can go wrong .... everything did". His only achievement commercially, as opposed to personally, was the ZX80 series of early PCs.
I live in San Antonio, Texas, and I remember Segways being hugely popular a few years ago (right up until covid truly hit in 2020) because there were several tours on Segway in the downtown area, as well as them being available to rent just to ride around. Us locals HATED Segways because tourists rode around on them completely oblivious to anyone walking or driving; they acted like they owned the sidewalks and streets. People walking would get hit by them, and drivers were constantly cut off by them. Segways were pretty much universally despised by all locals and often the rentable Segways would get vandalized on the spot because they were hated so much. To this day I still see the occasional Segway in the downtown area (although they’re nowhere near as prevalent as they were a few years ago) and I’m always endlessly annoyed by them. Anyone else living in a big city have similar experiences??
In Trondheim Norway when I was there for 2 months it was rental electric scooters that was the pest... Soon after electric scooters was banned in that city.
I used own an Segway tour company and I had about 8 of them. They are a great way of transportation and they are pretty safe even more so than a bike. Most crashes are because of improper instruction on how to ride, and people becoming over confident. After working on them it’s evident that lots of time and thought went into the development but this also meant that you would pay for this and parts are very pricy and batteries often cost more than the machine. I shut down last year due to it simply not being possible to turn a profit at this time due to competition from e-bike tours and it being to expensive to keep these great machines running. The original price for the i2 models($8,000) was to much and this is what lead to the fall of the company in my opinion. The amount of work into making these safe is crazy. Every thing is redundant and automotive grade so internally they are safe but true safety comes down to the rider and many ride a Segway like a joke which makes sense but this evidently leads to crashes.
@@MayoHosko Earning some extra heaven points to spend at the heaven blackjack tables and get a closer seat to Jebus and Elvis at the all-you-can-eat buffet presumably.
I am sure there were just as much accidents when bicycles were invested, even today, we still have many bicycle accidents. So the accidents were not the major reason. However, bicycles are much more accessible in term of cost.
@@Allen-L-Canada This metaphor doesn't really check out, though your last sentence indicates you know why. Bicycle accidents at the time of their invention were only due to every new rider having never encountered such a machine. Once they became accessible to the point of toddlers riding around on them as just "part of being a kid", people quit wrecking the things so long as there weren't external factors (stunts, pedestrian/car collision, etc.). My point is the Segway would never have become something you throw a set of training wheels onto and handed over to a child.
Segway will always be associated with Paul Blart
That's the first thing that comes to mind
Pop Blop Mop Cop.
As it should be
I thought it was perfect for a security guard in a large mall, and he made it look like so much fun!
🎵the haters hate me, I pass em byyyyyy!🎵
🎵I’m rollin rollin, on my seg-way!🎵
The fact you could buy a half-decent used car for the same price as a new segway is in my opinion the biggest deciding factor against getting one back then.
Yeah, I bought a used S class Mercedes 450SL (R107) in 2001 for $5000
My thought exactly.
Exactly. "Needed the money to run the company" Well if your product is so expensive only rich people can afford it to use just as a goofy gimmick thing you will never succeed. A normal person would buy a high end motorcycle instead for that money. Todays Escooters including Ninebot that we see everywhere today have becone a huge success largley because everyone can afford them and they perform really well and are also not clumsy and goofy like the Segway but a proper and practical vehicle that can also be easily folded and carried. I bought myself one last year for around 450 dollars and it works just great. Its not self balancing or anything but its stable and it takes me where i need to go quickly. Sure the Segway was a cool thing when it first released and i have tested one at a time and i liked the feeling when riding it but as said I clearly see why todays E Scooters is a success and Segway failed.
I just stumbled upon a new crowdfunding project called freebeat Morph 2-in-1 e-Bike, and it seems quite promising! One outstanding feature is that it can be charged indoors, which is a game-changer. With its powerful motor and fat tires, it offers a smooth and adventurous ride in any terrain. The smart technology and fitness integration make it an ideal choice for those looking to stay motivated during indoor and outdoor rides. Plus, the eco-friendly aspect of converting indoor calories into CO2-free miles is commendable. I'm excited to see how the Morph e-Bike will revolutionize the cycling experience!
modern e-bikes cost more than my audi a4… the e-bike companies aren’t failing
I remember when they started showing up at theme parks for security. You can't take someone seriously when they're on one. The best thing about the Segway was its role in Paul Blart.
You mean Mall Cop.
@Super Nostalgia I thought the Easter bunny saved us
Paul Blart was the final nail in Segway's coffin. While a lot of Americans look like Paul Blart, no one WANTS to look like Paul Blart. They damn sure don't want to pay thousands of dollars to look like Paul Blart.
Why can't you take them seriously? It helps them get around without exerting themselves thus helping them have more energy when they need to actually use it.
I mean, of course you can't rely on it solely. You need to get some exercise too. But I can totally see it being useful for security, especially those who need to patrol large spaces.
In my city there is a "gang" of Segway riders (I call them the Segwees) they get no respect at all, for obvious reasons.
Segways just look goofy, which is why I want one, you cannot be taken seriously while on a segway
Imagine being a midget on a Segway!!
ideal vehicle for escaping a crime scene
@@Dr.Kornelius they could not out run a snail!
I once had a client who used to own a segway dealership. Yes there were dealerships, and they were in malls. Anyway, I worked at a homeless shelter.
Volunteering at a homeless shelter has reminded of varied and interesting (if a bit sad) some of the client’s stories are.
LOL, It isn't very civilized to laugh at that, but damn it! It's funny ....
Oof...
Ouch. There is such a story there
AM sorry, but HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA damn that was funny, but sad
My mother once told me I should try getting a Segway and I said that I had never seen an actual person on one in public in my entire life. I continued to rant about how unpopular they were when two people came up over a hill on them right in front of us.
Mother's do that. It's part of their power
In my city they were everywhere for a while. There was a company that even took people on a tour of the city on segways. It was common to see security guards using them. Then all at once people stopped using them.
lmfao god trolling u.
Sitcom timing
The franchise quarterback of the Carolina Panthers was riding one through downtown. When he was out with an injury.
As a former mall security guard . The Segway patroller 6. Was a badass product. It had 3 wheels . 3 feet off the ground all terrain tires. Had an 50 mile charge . It was designed for university or military/ hospital properties that had many buildings on the same land that were outside. It was fast an reliable. The mall I worked at was a Tanger outlets. An it was huge . Before Covid on Black Friday we had thousands of people you couldn’t even walk. But this thing could make way very easy. Crowd control was a breeze on top of it . When the mall closed at night we would race around it was a great time. Kinda miss that joh
Ok Paul blart
@@GeorgeSukFuk hilarious. Never heard that one beforeZ very clever
@@abemartinez9623 haha I'm surprised you never heard it before. It's a pretty common jest
@@GeorgeSukFuk yeah that’s weird , never heard it at all. You’re on some next level deep intelligential thinking. Definitely consider a career in comedy. That was some 4th dimensional shit right there . Hilarious
@@abemartinez9623 well now I feel like you're messing with me
In case you're too young to remember!! The build up to this thing was enormous. We were told something was coming that was going to revolutionize transportation. A game changer. The hype around this thing went on for half a year. Finally it was released. Everybody went... "Huh?.. what?? within a month it was forgotten about. The only thing it revolutionized was getting around a car factory.
I remember them, saying that supposedly the way City’s were built was going to change because of everybody being on these things. What a joke lol.
@@ShinrithatGriethrat-cg4pg The build up was huge!!. And then it was like..... That's it???? !. And it disappeared. Maybe mall cops use it
If you ever seen the South Park episode where Mr Garrison invents a super fast traveling device named "IT". The creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said the Launching of the Segway and how they built it up to be the greatest thing ever was the main inspiration for the show.
@@almubarak89458 Never seen it. But the southpark guys got the joke. I think everyone remembers the endless hype.
Bad luck for it to come out less than three months after 9-11 and the World Trade Center massacre. We all had a lot more on our minds than wanky little electric scooters with the wheels on wrong.
It’s been a joke ever since the smoke cleared.
I’m a little surprised Elon Musk didn’t buy up the company and make it his trademark personal transportation system, for getting over that awkward gap between your front door and the Tesla parked in your driveway.
I think another one of the big issues is that the US as a whole is not built for pedestrian traffic, and the segway was a pedestrian-level vehicle. Many cities do not have decent sidewalks, or sidewalks at all, so attempting to travel around on a segway would be extremely impractical.
Exactly! Unfortunately, the US is made for cars/trucks only.
depends on parts of the US, in the northeast and parts of the midwest it’s very walkable, while in the sunbelt sprawling cities it’s not very walkable.
Even places that are pedestrian and bike-friendly like Amsterdam don't like other types of people-movers like electric wheelchairs.
Even if they had all that, what you do when you want to go inside a store? How do you "park" it somwhere without no one stealing it (its expensive). Also why not just walking, its good for your health.
If a place is built for pedestrian traffic, it is built for bicycle traffic. Bicycles, even electric ones, are faster and cheaper.
Dean is such a nice person. I was in Robotics in high school and we won the state tournament but we only came in 37th in the international championship in Atlanta. He still talked to all my team mates and myself for hours and hours. He really gave his own time to us and I'll never forget that.
alternatively: a very rich many was pumping young people for new ideas for his company, with no plans to pay anyone for those ideas.
@@perfectallycromulentif that was the case why would he listen to ideas from the team which came 37th
@@perfectallycromulent dude he's a nice guy. Founded multiple entire non-profit robotics competitions just to educate and inspire new engineers. Everything doesn't have to be so negative
Great story!
He might have enjoyed it. He probably saw your team as fellow engineers and not students.
I had a friend who let me ride his Segway often. Once, I was riding it around the neighborhood and had a few spectators (this was around 2004). I did a demonstration showing how to accelerate and decelerate, but when I leaned back at peak speed to apply the brakes, the system failed and I crashed down on the pavement and slid a short ways. Thankfully I wasn’t injured, though my backside was numb for a bit. Let’s just say the novelty wore off for me.
not surprising, segway looks very cringy and unimpressive
No man, there’s an update/patch you can buy that turns off the safety features. That thing will FLY
it failed because the wheel could never adapt to the road we have here (all breakup and unequal) so rural area was a no go. it was not really that portable either, more between a bike and a scooter... could not replace the skateboard for kids, young adult, and could not replace the speed of a scooter either.
I think the design is intrinsically funny. It’s that smooth floating motion while you stiffly look straight ahead, like you defy anyone to mock it.
What it really needed was a matching Spandex (tm) full-body outfit, with little tiny wings at the ankles and temples.
unicycles are way cooler
creative mode lookin ass
@@Blox117 And cheaper too!! 🤣
@@foilist1 true
Dean Kamen was his own biggest enemy. Before the Segway came out, I remember how over-hyped it was. You are right when you mention that people literally thought it was a teleportation machine or anti-gravity device. When people saw what it was, it was a huge letdown. Every interview I saw with Kamen when the Segway came out he came across as arrogant and obnoxious. He was on Jay Leno once and Jay was being lighthearted and trying to ride the Segway and Kamen was getting angrier and angrier because Jay and the audience wasn't approaching his invention with gravitas and awe. No doubt that Dean Kamen was a genius and invented some very important (and lifesaving) devices, but his ego and hubris seemed unmatched
He probably looked at his device with the scientific eyes - all the interesting and amazing science and engineering that lead to it. But obvs not a shred of marketing sense or popular design ,
agree, being a genius is not enough, one needs to have good characters.
I remember the hype. “Ginger” was supposed to change the world. What changed the world instead was 9/11.
He seemed to have a good track record with medical inventions, but clearly transportation and urban planning is out of his area of expertise.
@@ccricers I agree with that. His medication pump device and multi-wheel wheelchair really helped improve the quality of life for a lot of people but, yeah, he was out of his lane with the Segway...and being as obnoxious as he seemed to be didn't help...
A device on two wheels that can go barely faster than walking, on which you have to stand. I don't see how they didn't realize it was doomed to fail.
And yet e-scooters are more popular than ever. Of course these cost $50 per unit when bought in bulk compared to the Segway's $5000. I think it would have been a successful product if they could get the price down to even $300. But 5k is just dead in the water.
@@photonfield i rarely see them used ever. It feels like a gimmick, like 3D, fidget spinners, etc
@@Jalmaan E-scooters? They have rental companies set up in the summer in most big cities. Companies like Voi, Tier, Bird, Ryde, Bolt. I see literally hundreds of them when walking around downtown.
@@photonfield oh, those things, they're banned in the Netherlands haha, so I always forget they exist. We mostly have rental mopeds (for which you need a drivers license)
@@photonfield You mean the e-scooters that are several times faster than walking?
I had completely forgotten about Segways so much, that I didn't even know the whole thing about the dude that bought them plunging off a cliff on one. Company Man has met my "learn one new thing today" goal.
@SuperNostalgia.Why? The logic makes no sense? Save me bcuz he knew i was gonna sin regardless? Sounds controlling
@Super Nostalgia While I completely agree with what you're saying there Mr. Bot, you need to tweak your reply algorithm a little bit.
Several years ago I had an opportunity to ride an "off-road" Segway at a NH ski resort during their summer operations. After 5-10 minutes climbing the learning curve we were set free a bit and loosely guided on some local trails. I must say, it was ridiculously fun. Within a half hour we could ride no hands, do donuts, and more. Going down hills was a bit scary until you trusted the machine, but overall it was a blast. Much better than the zip lines we also tried that day. The "scooters" where much more interactive and the experience lasted a while.
I have one since 11 years. Used it for 12000miles. I live in Stockholm Sweden and am handicapped to the extent that I can stand up and walk with a stick short distances after a motorcycle accident in 2005 after which I was confined tyo a wheelchair for 6-7 years before able to stand up. The Segway completely changed my life. I can again get out in forests, go swimming in lakes in the summer. with the 20 miles (plus) on a charge I go around town, use it for myshopping with a back pack etc. It's a pity it got thought of in a certain way that is not at all deserved as it is a wonderful thing. I use it extensively every day and am still to break or wear out a single part on it. I even use the original battery pack still, even though it this year is starting to sag a bit from before. So that is getting changed soon. But hey, I rode it half way around the globe, so I'm good with that.
You wrote 1200 miles, you meant 12,000 miles?
So. You had a life altering crash on a 2 wheeled vehicle and you decided to buy another 2 wheeled vehicle? 🤔
I have almost the same story I have gout attacks and sometimes is very painful to walk so I use my Segway to get around and love it.
So did you pay out of pocket or did you make your insurance pay for it?
@@Wargasm54 What a nonsensical and inconsiderate comment. That's like saying "So you had an incident while walking and you decided to walk again?". Motorbikes go several orders of magnitude faster than a Segway. There is no comparison.
As a FIRST Robotics kid who grew up in it, Dean Kaman was an idol. When Segway failed, it was sad, we all had such high hopes for it.
I never had any hopes for it even though i was a "tech nerd". It cost as much as a motorcycle, rode not as fast nor as far, can only have one passenger, and is more unsafe than an ordinary kick scooter. It was also extremely over hyped, i was like "wtf????" when i finally saw it revealed on TV.
building personality cults around autists was not a good idea
@@mahzorimipodDo your research before labeling something a cult. FIRST changes lives. Thousands of high schoolers had their career paths illuminated through their involvement in the program, myself included. Implying that the program exists for little more than to stroke Dean's ego is not only wrong, but insulting.
That technologies only real practical use was with stair climbing wheelchairs. Segway's themselves were just stupid and dangerous, and if you felt otherwise as an adult; you should learn to give a bit of healthy cynicism towards hype. As a kid always wanted to ride one though.
@@skunkfac3 Dude's not incorrect. Dean may have been this great guy and influential and all that jazz. And the technology behind the segway may be impressive. But acting like anything a genius creates is automatically some revolutionary product is part of that cult-of-personality.
My family (myself, my wife and my 2 kids) did a Segway ride thing at a park at Lake Taupo in New Zealand a number of years ago - it was fun and they were mostly easy to control, though reversing one apparently requires some kind of boss level skills as my wife and I both fell off them when trying to reverse. A few years later, cheap Chinese "hoverboards" hit the market, and we bought our kids those - essentially a small Segway without the handle bars and only a couple of hundred bucks each. The kids were mad for them for about a year, then they lost all interest - and now they sit gathering dust in the corner of the garage (just after we'd spent more money on replacing the batteries in them too). Instead they both go everywhere on their bikes - which are really a far better and more affordable solution to getting around than the Segway ever could be.
classic case of "it's just a fad". I'm glad they use bicycles tho. So it wasn't for nothing. And who knows... in a few years they might remember these Mini Segways again and develop a new appreciation for it and how awesome parents you are for having bought them for your kids. :)
Now we have electronic scooters laying all around the streets
I think I’ve seen a Segway once in real life. I’ve seen those “hoverboards” more times. There was a guy who rode on one around my college campus and my sister even got one for her birthday. I tried it out a few times before she was done with it and I thought it was a neat little novelty. I think it still works it just needs a new battery charger because our uncle’s puppy chewed up the cord when he brought it over for Thanksgiving.
This is what killed the hoverboard: the only video you could ever find of them involved mom getting on it to try it and smashing her head on a tile floor 1.8 seconds later, and the shot cutting off before you could see the blood. 99.999% of all parents see that and say, "I'll get my kid one of these about half past never. Lifelong doctor bills is just what I want. Hard pass!"
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy what killed the hoverboard were all the incidences of them catching fire and burning people's homes down because they had cheap lithium batteries
I remember the hype. They didn't call it a Segway in the beginning, they called it "It", which was widely understood to stand for "individual transport". And of course there were numerous articles in newspapers and magazines titled "What is IT?"
It (!) failed because it didn't live up to the hype. For one thing it was far heavier and bulkier than the public had been led to expect. Most people expected it to be lightweight and easy to stow away, perhaps in some kind of carry bag. If you rode one to your local mall or city centre, where would you park it? It was too big to take into a shop, a bar or a cinema, but too light and valuable to leave on the street, secured only with a bike lock. And then there was the price.
Another "revolutionary form of transport" that turned out to be a dismal failure was the C5 car.
Im sure if they did what Uber is doing now with lime scooters it could’ve worked. It had potential, but they hyped it up like it was going to be revolutionary technology
Before my brother passed away , he was handicapped so that he couldn't walk even a short distance ... He had purchased a Segway PT and a Segway Ninebot ... He rode them all the time , and they were as reliable as the day is long ... It was funny because the older folks that lived in his senior apartment building , always called them " witchcraft " , L O L ... Anyway , after his passing , I inherited them and they are great fun !!
Disney had designated Segway tours at Epcot for a few years because it seemed “futuristic”. Years later there was a class action suit by a group of disabled guests who were upset that their own personal Segways were banned from use in the theme parks. It was a great idea to help people be more mobile but just impractical and safe in public spaces.
My lasting memory of the Segway is this: I was jogging around my college campus at night in 2006 (give or take a year). Very few people lived on-campus and it could be quite quiet at night (possible to run a full lap around the entire campus without passing by another person). As I was running, I saw a group of police officers (maybe 9 or so) on Segways… in a ‘Flying V’ formation… just rolling down the empty street on this empty campus. And I laughed so hard after they went by. I just remember thinking “What the hell are they doing? Are they flying home for the winter? 😂”
I think that might have been the first time I had actually seen a Segway in-person (actual real world use). And my reaction to finally seeing the product in-person was uncontrollable laughter. 😂 And it wasn’t even the product itself I was laughing at - it was the situation in which I saw the product being used. But that situation made me think of the product as basically a joke (whereas before I hadn’t really formed an opinion on the product).
Flying home for the winter was a good one.
by contrast, there are a few useful places for them - I live in MN, and there's a neat river road going along the Mississippi and over a few cool pedestrian bridges. There's a Segway tour that goes at least several miles - opening it up to a lot more peeps than otherwise.
I think the real problem was it was too dang expensive. I actually rode on one and it's easy to quickly understand how the vehicle works. I could see myself riding this around town every day. Segway also should have branched out and offered different versions. They had a working prototype ATV. It still could use the gyroscopic stabilizer. You simply popped a wheelie and it would fold the front wheels in. Then you rode it like a normal 2-wheel Segway. I think it was a mistake to not offer it. I would have bought one for sure.
I have two - a Segway robot and a mini pro and I love riding them..
@12345fowler glad you signed off on his quip, chief
The Segway directly lead to Hoverboards, one wheels, mono-wheels, and a number of other personal transportation devices which people are still using. While the Segway itself may have "failed", it had a significant impact that still is seen today.
The biggest issue is legality. I remember getting a hoverboard years ago and it was great! They were more practical for getting to class than biking, could easily be picked up like a skateboard, looked great, and were cheap ($150). The only problem was the college/university, city, and even private dormitories all banned them quickly. It was fun while it lasted.
Yes all overly expensive things that will never be for the masses…..
It really did help pave the way for Escooters and Ebikes. Both of which are FAR more popular than the Segway every was and have mainstream traction especially in large cities
All of those products revolutionised TH-cam compilations of idiots falling down.
Segway 'let to' those devices, because the patent expired. Once the patent expired, no one bought a Segway for 5-10X the price of the Chinese knockoffs that soon followed.
I love how clear and concise your video is about obscure topic I would’ve never even thought about
“He saw someone in a wheelchair struggling to get it up” - Company Man, 2023
I see what you did there! LOL
The main character from the movie _Monkey Shines_ didn't have that problem.
I remember this release. It was insane. People KEPT talking about it and how it was going to change the world. Except no one knew what it was. Then finally they showed it off, and everyone was like "well...that's kind of stupid, isn't it?" 😂
I remember everyone saying walking will be obsolete, followed by extreme pearl clutching about obesely rates.
Exactly how I remember it too.
Yeah, I remember how, as the South Park clip showed, in pre-announcement hype it was just called "IT." It doesn't get more hyped up than that.
@@noelleelizabeth9991 Man, I guess tech bros weren’t a recent development like I thought.
@@rubyy.7374 nah 😂 my dad lowkey is one
That Wheel Chair Was Off The Hook!🤯🤯
I met Dean at the FIRST Robotics NYC Regional 2012. He not only founded this high school competition, but stayed hands on with it, and spent so much time with so many of our teams. He set the career path for probably hundreds of thousands of kids for STEM fields. Such a nice guy. Unfortunate that the Segway didnt take off for him. But to be honest, it was always weird.
I didn’t know that he was the founder. I had been on my school’s robotics team that same year, but we were a small and new team whose robot was over 50% wood 😅
Guess he really wasted his life, then. He needed somebody to pull him aside and say, "Think about what you're trying to do here, because you're spending a helluva lotta time and money to do what tricycles have been doing for centuries."
@@samuelglover7685 He started a robotics organization to inspire high schoolers to get into STEM and invented many things to help disabled people and people receiving medical care. I wouldn't call that wasting your life.
@@samuelglover7685 This video also missed how the Segway basically became the "hoverboards" of the 20teens the sold tons of units. In the US the "hoverboards" ended up being banned in most indoor spaces and air travel (because of the batteries).
@@ShadyLife101 Cool, our team's robot was about 90% wood. We made it to Nationals twice in four years with wood robots.
I tried to ride a Segway...TWICE. Both times I found it extremely difficult to maneuver in a typical sidewalk environment and almost impossible to stop. Handling around pedestrians and other Segway riders was nerve-wracking. If you get up some speed and a 4-year-old future track star runs in front of you, just start selling everything because that parent is going to own you. Yes, it was a brilliant piece of tech that needed 5 or 10 more years to make it safe for the average human at the DMV. And, yes, I consider them a joke, even when I see the police using them.
Next you'll say we need to make sure " the tech is safe & effective " before we start sending heavily armed Robocops to apprehend dangerous juveniles out skipping school..... loser...😜
"Almost impossible to stop": why didn't they use that in their marketing campaign?
I used it on and found it intuitive to use.
Rode one twice myself, fell once and it's not workable if anyone is getting too close, but for something like what I did (outdoor tours of a vineyard) it's really up there in terms of fun.
You probably need more than two attempts to get proficient at operating a Segway. The problem as I see it is that there is this notion that it nearly drives itself, and that no skill is required to use it.
That is totally wrong. Yes, it is very easy to ride but to operate safely requires the user to put in some effort on learning how to operate it proficiently. It absolutely can stop extremely quickly - but a first timer will not be able to do that.
When the Segways were first sold you had to get training on them, a Segway rep would come to your place (for free*) and make sure that you understood how to operate it - it was part of the cost of buying one. *meaning that the cost was built into the purchase price.
I still can’t believe the guy who bought the company while riding one off a cliff. I always thought it was a joke but nope
It wasn't the inventor, it was the man who bought the company.
@@mykolperez2808 my bad 🫢
This. That right there is crazier than most of the stuff Hollywood can come up with. It's definitely high on my personal list of reasons to never own one of those things.
Not the person that invented it. The person who bought the company.
I looked up several articles and none of them say the accident happened because of the segway. although the way Company man says it, it does sound that way. its too sensational to be true
I grew up in Manchester, NH, where Dean Kamen's DEKA is located, and I distinctly remember my high school physics teacher saying "it" (Segway prior to going public) was a solution in search of a problem.
Segways remind me of the “people mover”, the moving walkway concept that was supposed to be the transportation of the future. It’s one of those things that is useful only in a very specific set of circumstances. You can’t carry anything in your hands, you need a clear path that’s wider than your body lest you run over someone’s toes, and the added height means you’re even more likely to hurt yourself if you fall… yeah, I think I can see why they didn’t catch on.
This is the problem. Even if they could "replace walking", how would the transition ever happen? Ever seen an NYC sidewalk during rush hour? They had to be banned because there was no place for them
It was trying to solve a non existent issue no one asked to be solved. In other words was a solution to a problem that never existed. E-bikes are actually useful for commuting and killed the Segways off. Then now you have E scooters
Not having a chair, no storage
This is kind of how I thought about it too. A bicycle is faster, half as wide, costs 1-10% as much, and is street legal. The Segway looked cool but it wasn't a better solution than what was already out there.
but hoverboards are more popular than ever, and they're just handle barless segways...
The hype on the Segway when it was about to be released was just astonishing. Kamen himself was primarily responsible with his statements about changing the world and being as advanced above the car as the car was to the horse and buggy. Most people expected some type of flying personal transporter, as that was the only thing they could think of that was this revolutionary. When the Segway was revealed as a walking-speed clunky scooter, people were so underwhelmed and disappointed that the entire thing became a joke unto itself. If Kamen hadn't raised expectations so much, it might have been more successful.
Great successful innovations usually start in a garage and work up. When you try to start from the top, the instant huge overhead and expectation weigh heavy
My dad ran a huge food plant at the time Segway’s came onto the scene. I think he might be the only one in the world who saw the vision and implemented it in a way that made sense.
The foreman used to walk across the huge facility on foot… it took them 15 minutes to get across the place. Way too much time was spent walking from place to place.
5 minutes on Segway. Made everything significantly more efficient.
A massive warehouse with basically zero foot traffic(for Segway’s to run over or to mock the Segway rider as they drive by), and clearly delineated paths for Segways is the only place a Segway makes sense.
He said before they came out with Segway… he thought about using bicycles or rollerblades.
Why not use a bicycle?
@@rusm5710 Tom Scott covered a Dutch flower warehouse that was so large the staff used bikes to get around
That's the problem. There's a miniscule amount of instances where this stupid thing would have been useful.
Local police in my hometown actually used to patrol on these but they only used them on a few main streets and eventually phased them out with bycicles
"I exist"
-skateboard
There was an episode of Frasier in the early 21st century that included a Segway. Niles was riding it and hyping it up.
I remember before they were revealed that there was some speculation it might be some sort of hovercraft (à la “Back to the Future “. When it was revealed to be a scooter, the disappointment was palpable.
The other big rumor was that it ran off hydrogen it would extract from H20….I actually heard that on the radio and the company did nothing to squelch the rumors
So much science fiction is improbable for the simple reason there is just not enough energy to propel, lift, hover like people dream of doing. Futurists usually get things wrong, but then we have something like the PC, very few saw that coming or the impact it would have on our lives.
You can make anything fly as long as you put a big enough engine on it, and have a powerful enough energy source,
I like that they normalized the auto-balancing technology.
When I saw it as a kid at a science center, I was blown away. Like over a decade later I got to ride an off-road version and thought it was also awesome, but I knew the price didn't make sense (and I was still pretty young)
Cut to now and I have this kick-ass electric unicycle that uses the same tech, and it's the coolest thing I've ever used.
I wanted a Segway. My husband bought me an electric bike. It's OK but I still wish I had that Segway
Unicycle? Man yall are cringe asf.
Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts on the Segway technology! It's amazing how advancements in auto-balancing have evolved over the years. If you're into outdoor adventures and camping, you might want to check out the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series. It offers a massive capacity, powerful output, and fast recharging options, making it a reliable backup power solution for your outdoor excursions. Happy camping!
My neighbor had a dealership and (tried to sell) them from his garage. I think a local attorney bought the all terrain version and I would see him drive it around the neighborhood for about a year or so, until he seemed to disappear.
My husband rides an EUC too. They are fun.
Dean Kamen lived about 5 minutes from where I grew up. We once saw him riding a Segway past my middle school and a small piece fell off the back. We pulled up in our car and told him that, he thanked us, and then just kept going. Wonder if he ever truly cared about the product, as that was back in the late 2000s and he had moved onto other products already
You have to hand it to this guy, as regards medical appliances this guy was a genius. The Segway was so hyped up reminded of sir Clive Sinclair and his C5.
Very interesting. One of my temp jobs in college was this - I got to "test drive" the i-Bot 3000 wheel chair. They had us do a break in of the system before sending off to the customers. I got to do this for 4 months. The wheel chair climbed stairs, and did in fact, stand up! This was in 2006.
Perhaps you have some insight into this then: I've never seen one of these nice wheelchairs in public these days. What happened to them? Too costly?
@@aurenkleige $30k roll away price, a few thousand were sold so they're out there, but they're exceptionally rare.
@@aurenkleige I have been around wheelchair users since about 2000. the only time I saw this wheelchair was at the Expo where they were trying to sell them. You don't see them around because IF there is one glitch in the computer, at the right time, the user can easily be way more injured, or die. . The chair is not trusted to be 100%, therefore, people are not willing to pay so much for a small benefit. Maybe they are good for steps, which makes them impractical for everything else. ( including weight )
Also, in America, there has been a huge movement to make things and places more accessible. Still trending that way.
@@coachbrandon01 That does make some sense. Shame someone doesn't come around and make one that is less expensive and safer though. Tech has come a long way since 2000; I'm sure it is doable. Besides, while yes, places are trending towards accessibility, it isn't always a guarantee, and especially places like small businesses might have a tricky time of it if they have to work with inaccessible infrastructure out the gate.
@@aurenkleige They sold quite a bit of them in the 4 months I was there, however in that time I found out that they were priced at something like $30,000 at the time. Yes, they had the backing of Johnson & Johnson, (I remember the reps being in the plant) but I don't think a lot of people could afford that much of a wheelchair.
Your point about it not living up to the hype is SPOT ON! I remember hearing about this brand new invention that was going to change our lives forever and then when I saw it, I was like “what.. that thing “? 😅
Well, one reason is that it was so fucking EXPENSIVE. Nothing can justify the crazy price: $5,000 when it first came out. Yes, FIVE THOUSAND BUCKS. Nope, no way. I'd rather buy an old used car with that kind of money.
They literally said it could be bigger than the internet! Yeah could be.
I worked at Epcot in 2008 and my managers rode them around. They’d scoot into the tiny back office and the Segway took up half the room 😂
Given that onewheels and other self-balancing devices have become pretty commonplace, it's clear that the basic idea and tech were sound innovations, and that mostly it was the missteps you mentioned that stopped them from being successful. I would have loved to see some comparisons in this video (or maybe a new video) to those successful derivative products.
I remember the hype around this thing and the immediate laughter as it was rolled out to the public.
I rode one around Berlin on a tour and it was actually pretty fun and surprisingly manoeuvrable. We definitely covered much more of the city than we could have on foot. But yeah it felt like a laugh and super lame, but fun and convenient. I think the ridiculous price was what kept it from taking off
that is the most uncool thing i ever heard happen in berlin and i've lived here for four years
Why not just ride an e-bike?
@@justicedemocrat9357what difference does it make either way
@@inyruilower chance of people loosing control and driving into traffic would be one reason.
I've done E bikes and Segway multiple times in various places around the world, all during tours. The learning curve was about 15 minutes and they were both fun and allowed further travel than walking and e-bike is especially helpful going uphill. It's different experience on each. The Segway is vertical and smaller footprint than a bike. Don't know about the law in each locale so not sure how practical to ride the Segway if not in tour. Where a bike or e-bike you pretty much has no issue if ride on the road.
For owning one it's not practical for me for the price, maintenance, distance etc. So only ride them on tours when they are still available.
Very good video BTW, just subscribed.
When I was in middle school the brother of a friend of mine, who had a problem with his hips and couldn’t get around easily, rode a Segway to/from/around school and would often let me ride it. It was a custom Segway that had this massive tires and overall looked pretty cool.
I actually own a ninebot S - I can say they are MUCH better than previous segways. They do not have handles anymore - you steer by tilting your legs left and right so its hands-free. They also made the wheels quite a bit smaller, which I find helps ALOT in making them look "cooler". The ones with the giant wheels and handles just look CLUNKY. The new ninebots are actually a ton of fun. Not $5000 either, like $700CAD to buy.
🤡
Nice! That’s only $521USD
Where do you store it when you go....literally anywhere
I never tried one, but my first impression when I saw the reveal on morning tv, it looked like something for a lazy person. Then, a couple years later, my experience first hand. I worked security at a museum and some rich person wanted to bring it in to the museum. We wouldn’t allow it BECAUSE of the report of accidents at that point and we were afraid he would topple into a sculpture or painting. He insisted he needed it for medical reasons which, I find hard to believe since you must stand up to use it, but he eventually got his way. It left tread marks all over the gallery.
So rich men get their segway!
There are medical conditions which make bending your knees harder so walking is hard while you’re still able to stand fine but considering the safety concerns I doubt someone who actually has difficulty walking would buy one
I've dealt with the "lazy" comments for 10 years now. When you're suddenly disabled, you strive for ANYTHING that will give you any sense of independence again.
@@tymesho that’s great, but as I said. Because of the orientation one uses to operate this, it’s hard to see the disability. I don’t claim to know everything, we(museum staff) thought it was a phony excuse. Handicap aside, let’s say you’re healthy. Why on EARTH would anyone use one over a bike?
@@jime6688 Yeh, no, I wasn't insinuating your situation, and you're right again, disabilities create disadvantages for all extremities when you have just one. I was expressing the mindset created when you lose just a fraction of mobility. Peace~
I was a part of Dean Kamens FIRST robotics league in highschool. I remember bringing the Segway and Wheelchair out at the National Tournament at Disney World and it was amazing. The Segway might not have been successful but I'm eternally grateful for Mr Kamen for creating FIRST. It was one of the BEST experiences of my entire life.
You had some what of a dull life I take it
A part of. Apart of means you weren't part of it, but separated from it.
@@oveidasinclair982 Looking at that pathetic and cringe 55 year old soccer mom sense of humor with that bird video of yours. I wouldn't wager you're very interesting either Oveida.
@@oveidasinclair982Building robots sure beats making videos of a parrot swearing. You can tell what you look like just from your tone alone!
@@joemama-xw1jh What you don't like hearing my bird cuss, WTF !
I bought a ninebot Segway a couple of years ago for around $500 and love it! Added a handlebar to it and it is a blast to ride. My first Segway ride was the original ($$$) Segway on a city tour and I was hooked. I’m currently upgrading mine to go more off-road, specifically for riding on Washington State beaches! I’m in my 60’s btw and it never fails to put a huge smile on my face! 😁
I like mine too. Super easy to ride and fun. What upgrades are you doing?
Is ninebot the same company as Segway?
You should put a giant white sheet over yourself and the machine and ride it at night to make people think they see a ghost moving. That'd be cool and scary. 😀
@@robertnowak7098 A Chinese company (surprise, surprise) that bought out Segway. The good thing is they came up with a much more affordable version. The bad thing is that now they seem to putting most of there efforts into scooters.
@@bentonrp Hummm might try that next Halloween but just need to be careful not to look like I’m a KKK sheet wearing crazy man on a Segway! 😜
The segway would become the "handless segway" aka the hoverboard which is still used today
Aren't the hoverboards suffering the same fate?
I was a teenager back then and the hype was there but it was so expensive that it was not only unaffordable to me but also nobody I knew, including full-time working adults, bought one. It quickly had the image of a cool toy for super rich people and thus buying one ever was not even a thought that crossed my mind.
Them becoming a joke really wouldn't have killed it if it was just cheaper and had more utility. Those "hover boards" in the 2010s are basically the same thing without the handle (less safe but WAY cheaper). Great video as always! Thanks for that blast from the past!
Exactly what I said. I've never seen a Segway in person but I see e-scooters and hoverboards every single day, literally hundreds of them, they're EXTREMELY popular in big cities now like where I work. I'm surprised he glanced over them completely at the end! The Segway Ninebot is actually fairly popular as far as scooters go, and I see more people on scooters than bikes at this point
It's kinda funny cause when I was growing up adults riding scooters was considered a big joke, but now you see everyone from teens to the elderly riding them all over the city
Overpriced by a huge margin. Even if they'd eliminated all of the other downsides it still was worth 500 bucks max.
Slow heavy bulky intimidating to pedestrians horrible battery life stupid expensive.. and the people look ridiculous who ride them 😅
@@datachu Which cities? American? I'm just trying to imagine who'd be so averse to walking and getting some incidental exercise in.
One of the futurists that got to see what the "Segway" was before it was released to the public, has claimed that what he was shown wasn't anything at all like what was released. I've always wondered what it was that he saw.
Teleportation device.
@@realDonaldTrump420 perhaps that's why they named the company "Segway", as an homage to this original, unreleased device since it would allow a person to segue from one place to another. Instantly. Like a segue.
he saw a unicycle
Most likely he saw the public reaction and was worried he would lose credibility for hyping it and just decided to lie to cover his butt.
Never forget, Paul Blart Mall Cop and Happy Wheels will make these things memorable forever.
The rise of ebikes and escooters makes me think Kaman was /mostly/ ahead of his time. Electrified personal transit is definitely going to be a big thing in the coming 2 decades.
To an extent. But I think ebikes and escooters have several advantages over the Segway - they're lighter and smaller (and can be designed to fold small enough to put in a car, bus, train, under the office desk etc), cheaper and simpler (none of the complex gyroscopes other than the ones in your inner ears), and can still be used when you've run out of power - or more likely you don't run out of power because you're using the electric as an assist rather than full propulsion. They're also more intuitive.
If the Segway had been practical then it would have been of its time, not ahead of it.
I knew it was a good idea to get skilled at building, fixing, and customizing bicycles.
I've already motorized a few, and sold many without a motor.
I'm about to be rich.
You can say what you want about the segway ,but no matter what it is really fun to drive.
Of all the sidewalk-based obstacles that could've taken down the Segway, of course it was the legal ones.
A think the big problem with the segway is deep-rooted in the design itself. I mean, why does it need to have only one axle? That's the only reason it needed the gyro-self-balancing tech in the first place. It created a problem and a solution for it. That's why electric scooters ended up being a lot more successful. They are basically just a lightweight, relatively cheap, simple, old means of transport, but electrified. With very little learning curve. Plus now we have the tech to rent them conveniently on the spot. I never liked the segway, nor the electric scooters of today (even the rentables are way too fast to not be a safety hazard imo), but I think that small and portable electric personal transport has a big future, especially with the new battery tech.
You have some things backwards. The self-balancing technology was created for a different product and they were trying to use it to create a product for a wider audience. Segways don't have a single axle, they have two motors, and self balancing isn't for keeping the vehicle upright, it's how the rider signals the machine to accelerate, maintain speed, and brake. The fact that the technology is alive and well in electric unicycles, which are superior to electric scooters in almost every way, is a pretty clear indication that self-balancing wasn't the problem.
that’s definitely something clever
Went on a Segway tour roughly 20 years ago. It was a blast. Made me want one of my own until I found out it was $5500.00. Too much for me to afford but it was a blast to ride.I never felt unsafe while on it.
"I never felt unsafe while on it." They only got unsafe the moment you fell off, so that's not surprising.
I wanted one too.
Same we did a city tour and it was fun but 5k is insane
Segway is not dead. It has evolved into electric scooter.
You’re pretty much nailed it, especially all the accidents and it being turned into a big joke. But I’ll add one more. It was a solution in search of a problem. All the technology is certainly very interesting. I don’t see where it solves any problems in my life, especially for the cost.
just an expensive and impractical toy.
I had a marketing class in college and the final project was try to come up with a marketing plan for this thing for college students. Yes, college students.
Sounds about right, as the ultimate test for marketing students
as a marketing student this seems really hard😭
You’d have to change some stuff about the product, but just turn it into the Hoverboard. That thing was big on colleges and is pretty much the same thing as the Segway just without handles
@@charliehertz4847you gotta have good marketing to get folks to drop $200 on a hoverboard that doesn’t hover 😂
Every one of my friends that had one ate shxt and busted their azzes and rightfully so 🤣
thats what they get for following trends and not stop to think before they made the purchase lmao
My friend's dad had a couple company Segways and one day we decided to race them down the business hallway. Long story short I lost control and ran mine right in to a wall creating a huge hole. Weirdly I never heard anything about it after, unsurprising we never rode them again 😂
You cracked me the fuck up!
Ive never laughed at somebody dying irl before but like, he bought the entire segway company and then rode a segway off a cliff thats insane hahaha
I kinda want one now
I tried one once for fun and it was SO impressive how well developed and easily controlled it was. I have terrible balance and never could do skates or skis or boards or anything, but the Segway too seconds to master.
But it cost more than all the cars I've owned combined, lol.
I remember when the Segway was announced, didn't think much about it at the time, but thought it was interesting. Just now see Segways at the airport.
Yep but now there's hover boards people can buy which are pretty popular.
One of the biggest issues I thought was how big/wide it was. I think the hover boards are dumb, and those are a far smaller, better version of the Segway. I remember my neighbor bought one of the first Segways and after using it a few times around the block, I never saw him use it again lol. We lived in the suburbs, so he really couldn't go anywhere with it. If he tried to use the sidewalks or the bike lanes, I'm sure he would've just pissed people off because of how wide they were.
I remember thinking the thing was too cumbersome to be very practical.
I’m pretty sure that some law enforcement agencies in the USA bought them for officers to walk the beat with. I remember thinking that they would bump into a lot of things in pedestrian areas, especially if they tried to chase anyone.
Another they were touted for was as a transportation for the disabled and elderly. I’m pretty sure that a Segway is wider than the long established and much cheaper mobility scooter. Imagine trying to get a Segway on and off of mass transit all of the time?
One of the most pointless inventions of history.
Yep - the "practical" version nowadays is an electric unicyle (self balancing, only one wheel). It is to the segway as a motorcycle is to a car. Super nimble, tiny footprint, fast and fun as help. Look it up :)
My husband has a 16S kingsong
@@jordanb722
My experience exactly. I would regularly ride my bike on the lakeside bike paths and the Segway would easily take up half of the path. That was if they stayed to the side which they frequently did not. And when they appeared in groups it was a bit of a nightmare.
@@jordanb722 I think electric scooters did what segway was supposed to do. They can pack in roughly same volume and they are cheaper and then rent scooters became a thing and at the same time it became one of the most hated vehicles.
Another one of its downfalls is that it just plain looked ridiculous. A lot of people didn't want to be seen riding something that looked like an old fashioned push lawnmower.
In my late 60's, I can walk but not very far. And there are few public transport options in the village. I would really like a Segway to get around. Perhaps the company would have been a success had it marketed the HT as a medical device to the growing population of aging adults.
yeah i still think Segway are kinda safer than electric kickscooters
A lot of people with mobility issues also can not stand for long periods and/or have balance issues.
It’s not particularly safe for young and fit folks… it’d be a safety nightmare for people who need it as a mobility aid.
@alexradu1921 why is it safer than a normal scooter?
It changed the world of transportation:it made us really appreciate bikes!
It was an intriguing experience that I recall from the age of 9 when my father, the owner of a golf club, took me to his workplace. On that particular day, the CEO of Segway was present, attempting to persuade my father to purchase a few Segways or possibly even replace the golf carts with them. My father was keen for me to try one, but at that precise moment, one of the individuals demonstrating the Segway fell face-first onto the concrete, sustaining an injury. Despite the CEO's assurance that the Segway was not dangerous and that helmets would be provided, I politely declined the offer. I remember reflecting on the incident later, thinking that perhaps the technology was not quite ready for everyday use, but that I might consider purchasing one if it became safer. Your video brought back this memory, and I would like to extend my gratitude for sharing it.
Thank you for the video 👍
ah yes, you, the 9 year old, suddenly became the owner of the golf club.
@@xdkillfor34akathetroll30his father are you silly
Don't call his father silly just because he owns a golf club
Its weight, platform stability, and bar handle might have made it seem safer to ride than it actually was.
The Segway was interesting, I rode one once at Disneyworld Epcot and it worked fine. The problem was the cost, footprint (too wide), and could never supplant the electric scooter, or regular bicycle for that matter.
People who were more likely to try a product like that are buying electric vehicles these days instead of toys like that.
Yeah ebikes and escooters ate the market at far less cost
You could optionally ROLLER SKATE everywhere. It would be hipper, faster, and far less expensive. Has many of the same problems as the Segway, too.
We rented these on vacation a few years ago at Biltmore Estate. We were in upper 60’s age. The leaning position irritated my husband’s back. I never felt quite in control like I do when riding my bike. It’s not a device designed for Seniors.
I remember when I first looked at the Segway as a recent engineering graduate around 2001 and I wondered what on earth the thing could be used for (I was a bit negative back then); my more positive former classmates told me if it’s intended users and it included the elderly & disabled.
I thought that was as silly as the other touted uses for the Segway. What could it do that a much cheaper & already widely available mobility scooter couldn’t already do )and for the most part: do better). And I also wondered if it was good for the elderly & disabled to have to stand up straight on these things for prolonged periods would be ideal, especially given the issues both have with stiff muscles and worn joints. And wouldn’t they be a nightmare to try and board & depart mass transit/public transport with?
Looks like after more try an 20 years you have confirmed my suspicions. I really could never see many practical usages for the Segway, it looked like the next step in laziness; a way to avoid walking or cycling.
I noticed that tourists tend to use them much more than locals. I always wondered if there was an increased risk since the rider is moving at a faster pace than everyone else around them while having much less familiarity with the space they are navigating. I hope you could try a motorized scooter. I think they would be good for Biltmore Estate.
yes it is, It's designed to cripple them after falling off of one
Segway, the irony of driving your own investment off a cliff.
That one may have gone over the heads of many viewers. 😂
I'm sad to hear they've stopped production of the Segway. One of my favorite activities when visiting a new city is a Segway tour. It's a quick way to get around a downtown area so you get to see a lot in a short amount of time, and you get to ride a Segway which is fun to ride (and you don't get tired from a day of walking). I hope that Segway tours don't go away.
I always thought Segways look really fun and cool to ride on, but after seeing the failures and mishaps it had throughout the years, yeah I’m glad that I didn’t own one. It’s a great idea in concept, but the execution is not really high. It’s pretty funny that your new video is released on my bday today!
happy birthday brodie
Happy Birthday, man
Happy birthday
Happy bday baby cakes
I went to Dean’s house for winning the FIRST Robotics world championship. Everyone ate lunch on his helicopter pad and he has a train engine in his living room. He also invented those coke freestyle machines. The winning teams also toured his development HQ and I really think he just makes whatever he wants no matter how hard it is to make because he has company’s who invested and buy anything he makes. He makes the impossible and sells every aspect of it and uses the money to poor into the next project.
Did you mean pour? Or is he giving to the poor?
Whoah, had no idea the winners toured his home! I got his signature on the back of a 7461 Sushi Squad shirt, got it in a trade for two of my teams shirts which was 100% worth it
I didn’t know they got a tour, I knew they got to meet him in person, my team didn’t get that far during that competition
I think the number one here is in fact the price. When I wanted to buy one in Europe it was about 6500 Eu... witch is insane considering that a small car war 9000 Eu. Many products that were unaffordable at the first never caught the market share. If at the beginning there is a big boom in sales, after that people see that the product is used and that builds confidence in the ideea or brand.
I think Segway still had a legacy that was unexpected, with similar gyroscope-controlled single-driver electric transporters such as hoverboards and onewheels.
I ride Onewheels and electric unicycles so I'm a big fan of the "technology"........
Segway rolled so we could zoom
I spent years as a Segway tour guide near SF. It was a really fun job. I did see a number of injuries over the years, and you can really hurt yourself. It is no less safe than a bike, though. I never owned one, too expensive.
With a bike, at normal speeds, you can extend a foot to one side or the other, anchored in the center and breaking a fall. With a Segway that isn't an option - it's face down or on your back. I guess a complement to the goofy helmet would be knee pads, elbow pads, and leather gloves to save the skin on you palms.
@@CitrusCountyBeatnik Yes and more impotently you can brake very hard on a bike before its any danger of flipping forward.
Also bikes are much faster.
I don't know if I'll get an answer, but I was wondering if they were battery or electric?
@@sunniertimer598 They are electric, with a battery. It was before Lithium Ion was standard, so they were either lead acid or Nickle.
@@CitrusCountyBeatnik You can just lean back on a Segway and step off. I put thousands of miles on both Segways and Bikes, and my experience is neither is really more dangerous than the other. I fell once on a Segway while trying to go up a hill way steeper than they are designed to do. But, I've also had a bike frame just fail while going about 30 MPH and broke my wrist. That's just my experience though.
When they showed Bush and Ellen falling on their butt back to back, I couldn't help but think, maybe the Segway can detect and eject a-holes.
Even if segways are no longer around, we've seen it's (albeit equally misfortunate) legacy in other personal transportation devices. Hoverboards were way bigger than the segway was a few years ago, yet suffering from some build quality and safety issues. Recently I've seen a few people riding around on something that looked like a onewheel, only that the device was a lot narrower and the wheel was perpendicular. Even if the segway was a financial failure, it has definitely been successful at inspiring the new generation of inventors.
unicycles are better
Hoverboards were doomed to fail because they are inherently unsafe.
Hoverboards were basically segways, but without the handle
Inspiring a new generation of dorks perhaps
Have you seen the vid of the pittie riding a monowheel?
Finally a video on my most failed investment
A thing like a Segway is never an investment. When and why was it that we began to call any expensive toy we bought an "investment".? Investments make a profit. If that thing you're buying isn't going to appreciate in price and then have a market to sell it at a profit or see a return of any kind, IT AIN'T AN INVESTMENT !!!
@@williampotter2098 Must be a recent trend. I saw someone on TH-cam a couple years ago, calling an expensive hobby an investment. Same idea...
_"I spent money, therefore it's an investment."_
Fantastic machine, purchased one 8 years ago but stopped using it about 7 years ago. Not because I did not like it, it was big, it was heavy and difficult to transport in my car. I started using the Segway minipro, it was light 27 pounds, it was easy to use, it was hands-free. I could drink coffee and talk on a cell phone at the same time. I have gone over 2,500 miles on them and now have more than one. Fell 3 times in 7 years only because of hitting obstructions. I am 81 years old and take it everywhere, car shows fleamarkets, and keep one in the frunk of my Tesla.
What does a mini segway cost? Where do you get them?
A mini Segway in the frunk of a Tesla . We may not have hover boards but you’re about as close to “living in the future” as anyone.
@nickclarkuk Everyone thinks it's a hoverboard, I have to explain that it's a Segway and I can not ride a hoverboard. I've let a lot of people ride it and no one fell.
This must be a joke comment lol
@mrblueagle1752 how no one else got the joke is beyond me.
My brother asked me to ride a segway at the state fair because the 1200 unit appartment complex near the University of Chicago was considering buying several Segways as an aminity for commuting faculty and students at the University. I found the stearing, which at the time used a thumb control lever to be counter intuitive and that it was quite capable of spining like a top and flinging you the hell off making it to much of a liability to provide to unpracticed riders. The accident compilations on TH-cam have cemented my belief that I made the correct recommendation.
As a Chicago resident, I thank you.
I thought it was the mall cops. This video proves me right.
Poor Ginger. It never had the opportunity to become self-aware.
My local science museum used to have an exhibit where you could ride a Segway around a course made up of traffic cones, and this was the only time I ever used a Segway. Not sure if they still have it but since Segways are discontinued it was probably removed at some point. Edit: they still have it
*course
That's the main problem. It's a novelty, rather than a practicle tool
Segway: It's $5,000 and will replace walking as a concept!
Also Segway: Why do people think Segways are for privileged a**holes?
It was not interuping nothing, not bikes, not walking, not motorcycles...
I was a kid when Segways were introduced and I remember seeing people taking Segway tours around DC and being so jealous because you had to be 18+ for those tours and my parents never let me ride one… and now I see why!
The first time I rode one was on a tour in Washington DC. It was a lot of fun. I took another tour on one in Berlin a few years later. They were great and fun for tours.
I thought that this device probably was one that people with mobility issues might have considered. Except that the same mobility issues would have made it difficult to use. A person with arthritis might not be able to stand very long, for one thing. And it seemed to be something that would take a lot of clearance space to use inside a house. It's hard to imagine very many situations this would work in.
I am a 70 year old One Wheel rider and I remember when the Segway was introduced. My 10 year old son and I were at an event in Dallas and they had a demonstration area for the Segway, we both loved it. A lot of people look at me funny while out riding the OneWheel but they just can't understand the draw until it is tried. If you want the enjoyment of the ride you have to accept some basic concepts that you will take a fall from time to time on a balancing vehicle be it a Segway or a OneWheel. I do believe they oversold the Segway, I remember Dean doing the interviews and stating it was going to change the world.
Imagine posting all of that on TH-cam. A video hosting platform. Yet, you have zero videos of you on a "One wheel" whatever that is. Unicycle? Regardless, I don't even care. I would just love to watch a 10 year old fall off of a vehicle on concrete and just brush it off like nothing. Please upload some videos of you showing everyone how you ride a one wheel.
@@eriklarson9137 why are you bullying this 70 year old dude 💀 let the man enjoy his onewheel in private
@@eriklarson9137 What a weird (and kind of embarrassing) comment... Imagine posting all that in response to a 70 year old person just sharing their relevant experience on a video discussing the topic. Again, weird.
I could see myself on a One wheel. They look cool.
@@eriklarson9137 youse a hater
We all thought Kamen was developing the hydrogen powered car. Turns out it was a scooter, that was somehow dorkier than other scooters.
Here in the UK we had a similar 'phenomenon' in the 1980s - the Sinclair C5. It was launched in January 1985 to great fanfare and the same sort of high expectations and hype that would later be used for the Segway. It was going to replace the personal car etc etc. However, in common with the Segway, it was similarly impractical, had only a 20 mile range, maxed out at 15mph, was perceived as dangerous and became a huge joke although it was relatively cheap. Very few were sold and by August 1985, the company had failed and shut down.
It a common tread in transportation innovation they are goofy,expensive and slower the Segway,Sinclair c5,microcars,invacar,Renault twizy,Citroen ami earlier ev cars ect
@@weird-guy It's still not as funny as "inventing new type of transport which, if you correct its flaws and inefficiencies, turns into a train".
@@Sasha-zw9ss You are right - there are so many of these 'non-innovations' but surely the most asinine wastes of capital are monorails !!
I think the C5 was supposed to be a little more like a Tesla (well - an electric Austin metro) But the money to develop it wasn't there and neither was the technology to actually build it, 20 odd years before Tesla. But the odd thing that came out was not what was intended.
@@Rapscallion2009 Clive Sinclair had a track record of 'boosting' and promoting companies and hooking investors on concepts and was successful at it but few of the ideas actually worked. The C5 was useless and his 'Black Watch'. "All electronic, nothing can go wrong .... everything did". His only achievement commercially, as opposed to personally, was the ZX80 series of early PCs.
I live in San Antonio, Texas, and I remember Segways being hugely popular a few years ago (right up until covid truly hit in 2020) because there were several tours on Segway in the downtown area, as well as them being available to rent just to ride around. Us locals HATED Segways because tourists rode around on them completely oblivious to anyone walking or driving; they acted like they owned the sidewalks and streets. People walking would get hit by them, and drivers were constantly cut off by them. Segways were pretty much universally despised by all locals and often the rentable Segways would get vandalized on the spot because they were hated so much. To this day I still see the occasional Segway in the downtown area (although they’re nowhere near as prevalent as they were a few years ago) and I’m always endlessly annoyed by them. Anyone else living in a big city have similar experiences??
In Trondheim Norway when I was there for 2 months it was rental electric scooters that was the pest... Soon after electric scooters was banned in that city.
I would never ride a Segway.
I used own an Segway tour company and I had about 8 of them. They are a great way of transportation and they are pretty safe even more so than a bike. Most crashes are because of improper instruction on how to ride, and people becoming over confident. After working on them it’s evident that lots of time and thought went into the development but this also meant that you would pay for this and parts are very pricy and batteries often cost more than the machine. I shut down last year due to it simply not being possible to turn a profit at this time due to competition from e-bike tours and it being to expensive to keep these great machines running. The original price for the i2 models($8,000) was to much and this is what lead to the fall of the company in my opinion. The amount of work into making these safe is crazy. Every thing is redundant and automotive grade so internally they are safe but true safety comes down to the rider and many ride a Segway like a joke which makes sense but this evidently leads to crashes.
@Super Nostalgia why are you preaching about god
@@MayoHosko Jesus Christ on a Segway.
@@MayoHosko Earning some extra heaven points to spend at the heaven blackjack tables and get a closer seat to Jebus and Elvis at the all-you-can-eat buffet presumably.
I am sure there were just as much accidents when bicycles were invested, even today, we still have many bicycle accidents. So the accidents were not the major reason. However, bicycles are much more accessible in term of cost.
@@Allen-L-Canada This metaphor doesn't really check out, though your last sentence indicates you know why. Bicycle accidents at the time of their invention were only due to every new rider having never encountered such a machine. Once they became accessible to the point of toddlers riding around on them as just "part of being a kid", people quit wrecking the things so long as there weren't external factors (stunts, pedestrian/car collision, etc.). My point is the Segway would never have become something you throw a set of training wheels onto and handed over to a child.