In February 2001, reports of a secret project leaked out to the media. Given the code name “Ginger”, it set off a firestorm of speculation about what the supposedly world-changing invention would be. Ginger became the subject of a giant, worldwide guessing game in the following months. People proposed all kinds of possibilities, including an invention for time travel, teleportation and magnetic levitation. Some even started rumors about Ginger being a device for defeating Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Finally, on December 3, 2003, its inventor Dean Kamen discloses the secret on “Good Morning America”.
It was the Segway “Human transporter”, an electric powered self-balancing scooter that remains upright through a person’s center of gravity and other physical principals. . Armed with a battery of gyroscopes and tilt censors, the Segway moves forward when its operator leans forward, and stops or backs up by reverse torque when he leans backwards. The operator of the Segway stands on a platform 8 inches off the ground, which spans the width between two parallel wheels, and holds on to handlebars. There are three models of Segway: two of which are designed for industrial and commercial applications, and the third is a personal transport model became available to consumers in late 2002.
The benefits of widespread usage of the Segway HT are far-reaching, including the creation of more livable communities. Segway will lead to a redesign of the way the communities are constructed by significantly. Extending people’s walking zones, thereby enabling better use of space and transportation infrastructure can be a part of this redesign coming to life with Segway. This half car half scooter will enable people to make better use of their time, interact within their community and contribute to eliminating traffic and pollution. Cities foster cultural, commercial, and social opportunities.
People are increasingly drawn to these opportunities, to the point where half of the world’s population now lives in an urban community. This trend is projected to continue—unabated. Life in cities is enriching, but with population density comes associated costs—congestion on roads and sidewalks, pollution, and reduced open spaces. Segway HT reconciles this trade-off, giving us the mobility to expand our neighborhoods as it enhances our quality of life. As people travel farther and faster with the help of Segway™ HT, cities will evolve in new directions. The boundaries between residential and business districts will blur, as people start moving to multi-use neighborhoods. Congestion, pollution, and noise created by cars will be reduced. Funds previously used to support transportation infrastructure will be directed toward the creation of sidewalks and other public spaces that accommodate pedestrians. Segway has the power to transform everyday life on multiple levels. Enhancing consumer’s strength and mobility, will expand the boundaries of their neighborhood by enabling them to cover more ground in less time, which is what everybody needs in our fast-paced era.
And it will help you accomplish things that might have otherwise required a vehicle, creating benefits for the households- such as saving money –as well as benefits for the community and society as a whole. Segway augments the mobility of its users without any impact on the pedestrians around them. So while it changes the dynamics of daily life, it will not change the dynamic of public spaces. Segway will enable consumers to accomplish things that were once impractical or impossible on foot. This new mobility will generate economic benefits Consumers will start to take fewer car trips or maybe they are even going to sell their car, which will return to them as reduced fuel consumption and reduced environmental stress.
By allowing to cover more ground in less time and giving the strength to carry more, Segway will reduce the need for cars and this will produce some profound environmental changes both in long and short term. American drivers take approximately 900 million car trips per day. The EPA estimates that half of all those trips are less than five miles (8 km) long and transport only one passenger—trips perfectly suited to Segway. With the replacement or car usage with Segway can provide the community with clearer air and less stressful traffic. Besides based on the fact that 1% reduction in urban miles driven results in a 2% to 4% reduction in vehicle emissions, due to the inefficient nature of urban driving. If each car is driven fewer miles per day, per year that would put less stress on landfills and on the environment as a whole.
Segway also reduce household expenses by allowing the consumers using these new extra funds elsewhere. If a family could replace one car with Segway this could result in significant savings by eliminating expenses such as gas, insurance, paring, registration, and repairs. Low healthcare costs are among the changes that Segway will cause. In the US, it is estimated that vehicle-related air pollutants are responsible for approximately 30,000cases of respiratory illness per year, resulting in healthcare costs about US$56 billion. If the number of urban miles driven could be reduced by 10%, that could trim down vehicle emissions by anywhere from 20% to 40%. This could save billions of dollars in healthcare costs while increasing economic productivity by lowering the number of workdays missed due to pollution-related illness.
Segway with its design will probably change the style of shopping as well. For instance, since, regulations let the usage of Segway indoor –supermarkets- the classical definition of the eye-level shelf will change. The design of Segway lifts you about 8 inches above the ground so the top shelves will be considered as eye-level shelves as well. Segway might have an impact on impulse buying as well. It is a common behavior for walkers to gaze on windows of stores while walking down the street. But usage of Segways will possibly reduce if not eliminate this kind of shopping behavior. Besides, the beginner user of Segway most likely would not be comfortable about carrying stuff on Segway they would not be confident enough about the balance issue.
Moreover, according to the surveys men will be the first users of Seqway. It is common phrase that “men are not that into shopping” But Segway can easily change this attitude. Using a Segway will remind its users of the feeling that they first got their driving license and drive a car. The feeling that made them want to drive for hours -the excitement of finding a new toy. Therefore with Segway shopping will probably be the part of the day men are looking forward to. On the other hand, in a busy schedule in which there is no time for exercise, walking is the only thing people do for the sake of sports. It is most likely that Segway might abolish this exercise opportunity.
A growing number of companies, which have discovered the benefits of Segway, in a range of industries are testing it and using them in their day-to-day operations. Here are a few of the companies using or testing Segway and key benefits they expect to realize: United Postal Service (Improved work environment, productivity enhancement), GE Plastics (Improved worker productivity/proximity), Boston Police Department (Makes law enforcement officers more accessible and better able to navigate dense urban environment).
Segway is proof of an even more significant concept. It demonstrates how powerful computers have truly escaped from boxes –how they are moving into all kinds of new places and devices that can sense and react to their environments in something close to real time. Segway may never succeed, at least not in its first incarnation. But it is one of those ideas that tell is you about other possibilities. It is not for everyone, and it probably will not change the world soon. But it is a very cool way to get around.
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