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 Kamen said his much anticipated device, launched on the popular US breakfast show Good Morning America, is aimed at letting people cover more distance in less time -- about six miles in 30 minutes. The first uses will be commercial, including roll-outs with the US Postal Service and National Park Service as well as Amazon.com.
A particular focus is encouraging car owners to get behind the wheel less often. In the US, which consumes some 15 percent of the world's oil, drivers take around 900 million car trips each day, and half of those are less than five miles. According to Kamen's own figures, some 23.5 million litres of petrol could be saved each day if even 10 percent of those short trips were eliminated using a device like the Segway.
The full name of the device is the Segway HT ("human transporter"), and it resembles something like a cross between a city scooter and a small moped. Its dimensions are roughly the same as an average adult, which means it uses the same space as a pedestrian and can be used on footpaths. It uses special self-balancing technology developed by Kamen, dynamic stabilisation, which utilises gyroscopes and tilt sensors to monitor the user's centre of gravity about 100 times a second. Stand on the Segway and lean forward, and it moves forward; lean back and it moves backward.
"Ultimately, the Segway HT can make urban environments more livable by providing a solution to short-distance travel," Kamen said in a statement. "If the Segway HT is widely adopted, it could help solve major urban problems, such as pollution, congestion and livability."
The Segway joins other notable Kamen devices also aimed at increased personal freedom, including his portable kidney dialysis machine and a revolutionary wheelchair designed to let wheelchair users climb stairs.
The company established to produce the Segway, New Hampshire, US-based Segway LLC, will produce three models, including one designed to carry up to 75 pounds of cargo and a thinline version for densely populated areas. The initial roll-out to areas like warehousing and postal delivery will be followed by a launch for consumers in late 2002. Pricing for heavy-duty models is expected to be around USD8,000.
Segway, which is backed by investors including Credit Suisse First Boston Private Equity, has partnered with suppliers including Delphi Automotive Systems, GE Plastics and Saft, the battery activity division of Alcatel, to provide components for the device.
More information is at http://www.segway.com.
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