Segway Mini-Pro

The Segway Mini-Pro is not new, but the reduction in price from about $1200 down to $800 means they are being marketed more aggressively. They are capable of going 10 mph, but most people don't get them above 6 mph. Range on a full charge is about 14 miles. They can be dragged around without too much difficulty, but they are very heavy to pick up.

While not as sexy as a unicycle, they are said to be fun to drive. But will they ever be alternate transportation?

$800 sounds pretty reasonable. If there are really heavy that might preclude people who might use a combination of bus and one of those to commute.

Bus commutes aren't so bad until you need to make a transfer. This is something that could take you the rest of the way.

Ever ride a Segway? I tried once and fell off
and never got back on. One of the unsafest
devices ever built. In the video watch how
many Segway's just keep going after the
rider is ejected. Many places have banned
them.

Country clubs, resorts, college campus with remote buildings (on the honor system), industrial/commercial (such as on-base police, airport police, security patrol, parking lot w/o formal shuttle bus but with Segways). Add a basket and use it in grocery stores. Add a flatbed trailer and use it for First Aid transport of victims. CBD general use: any commuter..add a gps tracker and a charging station with coin op rental. Would end the short haul taxi calls. Add a plastic umbrella for increased use in rain when taxi drivers disappear anyway. Parking garage in Theater District, Restaurant in CBD, Landlord near military base / major factory (husband takes Segway, wife no longer marooned all day, but tenants are young marrieds unable to afford direct purchase of Segway).

Note: Add a deadman's pedal, such passenger's weight required for continued operation, also add unique advertising signage for revenue.

'Riding a two-wheeled Segway Personal Transporter may look like fun, but it can be dangerous. That’s according to researchers who cite an increase in serious injuries sustained by people who operate the devices.'

“The Segway may seem cool, but there’s nothing cool about a head injury,” says Mary Pat McKay, MD, MPH, of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and one of the authors of a new study on Segway-related injuries. “One quarter of the patients who came to our emergency department with Segway injuries were admitted to the hospital.”

The owner of the company who makes Segway's
was killed while riding a Segway a few years ago.
He rode it off a cliff and into a river. Maybe he
thought it could fly.

The maximum speed of the Segway PT is 12.5 miles per hour . The product is capable of covering 24 mi on a fully charged lithium-ion battery, depending on terrain, riding style, and the condition of the batteries.

In 2010, British entrepreneur Jimi Heselden bought Segway Inc., but soon afterwards Heselden died after falling from a cliff while riding a Segway PT. In 2015, Segway was acquired by Ninebot Inc., a Beijing-based transportation robotics startup.

Ninebot is now selling the personal scooter which is billed as being much safer than smaller electric scooters which are often called "hoverboards" after the fictional device in "Back to the Future" part II.

If you're young and agile, you've got a better chance of recovering from a sudden stop on one these.

Short of wearing a helmet and maybe gloves, not many options if you aren't able to stay on your feet.

They should call it the Darwin Machine :)