Well. a week or two has passed since a company in Manchester, New Hapshire has unveiled a strange and bizzare looking device that will "enhance people's mobility". At least one online comic strip has poked fun at the new device, called, oddly enough, a Segway. The reason, is buried in their FAQ, about halfway down:

Why do you call the Human Transporter ‘Segway?’ Our inspiration came from the word segue, which is defined as, "to transition smoothly from one state to another." A Segway Human Transporter (HT) transforms a person into an empowered pedestrian, allowing him/her to go farther, move more quickly and carry more than could ever be achievable walking. On a broader level, the Segway HT has the potential to help communities transition to more livable environments and business enterprises to transition to more productive entities.

• First. It's probably going to replace bicycles and golf carts in large factories and warehouses, where offices and work area are seperated by a long walks. And this is only in certain situations.


• Second. Public Perception. I think that the public at large will think of it as a another 'toy', or something with limited purposes. Seriously, can you think of more then a few good ideas to have one? Here's a rather short list I came up with:
  • In-house transportation for factories, warehouses, and other large, spread out complexes.
  • Assisted mobility for the disabled or handicapped.
  • Status toys for the rich and others who have nothing to do with their money.
  Pay attention to the first one, it incorporates a lot of places in that.
  
  

Now here's why I think it's a cool product:

If you paid attention to the first line in the list I came up with, you noticed that a lot of places fall into that catagory. Airports, large medical complexes, university campuses, factories (aircraft factories especially), large goverment complexes, etc. It is a niche product, but the niche is rather large.

The second point: I know quite a few people that are confined to walkers, for the reason that they cannot walk very well. From what I've read, if they have an intact sense of balance, they might be able to use this product. I could be incorrect though.

The third point: I think that people who buy one of these simply as a toy are tossing their money away. If you need one of these so you can traverse your 20,000 square foot house, I'd say that you have way too much money. I'll let another comic strip make my point here.

That's all for now. Tune in next time when I find something else to point and laugh at and then say, "hey that's actually pretty cool".