December 3, 2001

Will Chicago Gyroscopically Ride to Work?

By Adam Fendelman, Editor-in-Chief

CHICAGO – In the name of eluding driving and parking and the CTA, what if it took you 20 minutes to "gyroscopically" ride to work on a device so smart all you need to do is essentially think the direction you want to go and off you are? Sounds sexy, says ePrairie's Adam Fendelman, but only if the price is right and the powers that be stamp its approval to vroom around on city sidewalks.

I remember as a tyke watching the Jetson's and thinking of those dome-shaped hovercars: "When can I fly one of those puppies?" I remember wondering much the same in the second episode of "Back to the Future," when Michael J. Fox eluded Bif by surfing around on his hoverboard and forcing the bully into a pile of manure.

Turns out, I wasn't the only one who thought that.

And here "it" is in triplicate, the Segway HT.

Dean Kamen, a college dropout with millions in financial backing and hundreds of patents, did too. And now he's wowing the world. In fact, he's arguing that his little ditty could redesign cities, help reduce the world's dependence on oil, lessen time and space for pedestrians and increase productivity for businesses.

It doesn't hover in the air (yet), but it is arguably the most intelligent transportation device to date. The Segway Human Transporter, previously codenamed "IT" or "Ginger" by its stealthy inventor, was kept clandestine since reports surfaced last January containing sporadic morsels of hype only enough to beguile human curiosity. But now, it's out of hush-hush mode in full force, and it's making headline news.

That begs the question for Chicago and its downtown travelers – who sit in standstill traffic only trying to drive a few miles and who pay enormously for parking – of whether or not they can even be used here and if Chicagoans will be willing to dish out $3,000 for a smart scooter. Remember, it's illegal to ride bikes on Chicago sidewalks.

For $3,000, there's no way I'd bite. Of course, the price will come down after even smarter models are developed. Also of course, the city of Chicago and Katherine Gehl – the mayor's tech guru – will have some tough decisions to make as to whether Chicago will endorse the technology.

And why not? Who would object to lightening the load on CTA buses and trains, especially if the city helped subsidize the exorbitant costs for each Chicagoan to purchase one of the super mopeds? That is, if the thing actually does stop on a dime while rolling downhill and you're comfortable locking it up with the rest of the bikes.

Tech Specs

Pioneered by Kamen and his company, DEKA Research and Development, the two-wheeled, battery-powered device was demonstrated on Monday in New York and is designed for a single rider standing upright. Its key innovation is its eerie ability to balance itself using finely tuned gyroscopics and effectively perceive its patron's travel desires.

It rolls up to about 12.5 miles per hour (MPH) or on average 8 MPH, which is about three times walking pace. It'll go between 11 miles and 17 miles on a single, six-hour charge for about a dime's worth of wall-powered electricity, depending on whether you're using a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) or Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) battery. A 128-bit encrypted "Intelligent" key is needed to vroom away, the insertion of which is greeted by a friendly user interface transmitting data by way of a smiling face – the most basic and recognized means of human interaction.

The Segway has no brakes. Its movement is solely determined by the rider's shifting weight and a manual turning mechanism on one of the handlebars. The gyroscopes and tilt sensors monitor the rider's center of gravity more than 100 times a second, signaling to the electric motor and wheels which way to turn and how fast. Each wheel is independently driven by dual-redundant, high-speed electric motors that produce no emissions. The power for the motor is up to 2 horsepower.

The turning radius is zero, meaning it can turn on the spot – something most cars and certainly buses can't even comprehend. A passenger can weigh up to 250 pounds and carry up to 70 pounds in cargo. The Segway itself weighs 80 pounds.

And there's more, of course – more bells and whistles to fascinate and motivate you into breaking the bank for something wholly alien, moderately practical and never before mimicked.

Only time will tell if consumers will use the device for a personal means of transportation, but in the meantime, will you use it for your business? Amazon.com plans to use them to save money by (hopefully) reducing the time it takes employees to scurry around corporate campuses and large warehouses.

Sounds cute, but companies shipping heavy cargo and lots of it – like Skokie-based Peapod – need trucks, not single-pedestrian scooters.