You may remember the hype about these things. Obviously, we are not going to be designing cities around them, as that hype promised.
Admittedly, it’s a slushy winter here in Chicago now, but I am not seeing these things where I even used to see them. I can’t remember seeing any on tours through the park last summer.
I don’t get to see a lot of warehouses. Are they being used there to get around?
Supposedly these things were supposed to be a big hit in, say, China where they could be used instead of all those bicycles. Are they?
Where are these amazing groundbreaking vehicles that were going to change transportation all over the world?
I remember thinking when these things came out, Great! Like we needed another spur towards obesity. I’m glad that I needn’t have worried.
Yes. They have a few niche uses, but they were always way too expensive.
The “hoverboards” with no handles that are their spiritual descendants are also kind of a flop. Although they are cheap enough that they can remain novelties.
As far as groundbreaking vehicles that are going to change the world, the little electric scooters that various companies (Bird, for example) have strewn around major cities for easy rentals seem like a good candidate. Being a cool futuristic-looking tech demo is a lot less relevant to transforming transportation than making something cheap and plentiful and getting the sales model right.
They are a niche product these days and very expensive for general consumer use. They are more for things like mall security and some warehouse jobs. Besides the expense, another problem they have is that it is impossible not to look like a complete dork while riding one even though they are really fun and well built.
Segway technology lives on in a different way however. Hoverboards use the same basic idea, are fairly inexpensive and older kids love them.
There have been past threads on this. The segway itself was a flop but much of the technology is being reused in other form factors: the hoverboard, the one wheel, electric skateboards etc.
Even if these things are all fads I think the technology is unlikely to disappear now; it’s just a matter of time until it’s used in a way that has enduring success / appeal.
As iamthewalrus, points out, instead of the Segway, it turns out to be the scooter, specifically, the “e-scooter,” at least for now. It wasn’t a question of technology, but convenience. Both ideas, however, are predicated to a large degree on laziness.
There’s also where you’re going to ride a gizmo and how it will interact with the users of that space.
Nobody’s going to ride a Segway on the road, and it’s not a good fit for pedestrian spaces that get a lot of foot traffic.
IMHO, it’s hard to see how any metal gizmo that takes you noticeably faster than a walking pace is a good fit for sidewalks that get a lot of foot traffic. They just come up on people too fast, and a collision between a pedestrian and a moving metal object is way more problematic than when two pedestrians bump into each other.
So ISTM that these various alternatives really have to either fit in on the road with the cars, or just be used in off-road places that don’t get much foot traffic either.
When Segways first became “a thing”, I knew a guy who went all-in. I’m curious what became of him. I also knew a guy who went all-in with giant satellite dishes, right before the small ones became a thing.
They seem to have a niche as tourist things. Clark’s trading Post up in New Hampshire has featured a Segway track and Segway tours ever since the things were available. I hadn’t noticed Salem Segway Tours being around the Witch City recently, but according to the internet they’re still in business. There appear to be four other Segway tour companies in Massachusetts.
It hasn’t caught on with the public in a big way, though. I’ve seen one or two privately-owned Segways being used regularly, but I don’t even see them anymore.
I think the expense was the reason; the cost never came down as a lot of people predicted. I still do see a fair number used at places like amusement parks for security and such but the cost and weight never got to that point where people I know were tempted. Although ----- I do see more mobility scooters being used by basically capable people. Maybe those have become a form of Segway for some people?
I used one for the first time last Fall. My wife wanted to do a segue tour of our city so a group of us got together and did it. Prior to that, I thought they were kinda neat but far too expensive. At that cost I didn’t think it was economical for the likely usage I’d get out of one. Now that I’ve rode one on the tour, I am very impressed with them. They really are fantastic bits of technology and so much fun to ride. I’d still never actually buy one for personal use but I find it more appealing now than I did before.
And yes, we looked like a gaggle of dorks with helmets following the tour guide in a line through-out our downtown area. Don’t care, it was fun!
I like them, and yes they are a niche product. My wife especially likes the Segway. They are particularly suited to tours for tourists and we have been on tours at the Grand Canyon, Rome, Boston and at home in Calgary. You can cover a lot of ground quickly, and see areas that would not be accessible on a bus tour for example. The downside is always going to be the risk of accidents from various causes such as drunk tourists, inexperience, and poorly chosen routes. You can go almost 30 miles per hour, and I have seen many falls. Our tour in Boston had us crossing and mixing in vehicle traffic, it was dangerous - but then … my middle name. lol.
E-bikes are also taking off, though not in way of the Bird or Lime business model. I have yet to try an e-scooter, but with those tiny wheels I would guess that stability and braking would be worse than a bike with bigger wheels and disc brakes. Of course, you still have to pedal an e-bike, but it’s much easier.
Maybe. I think the scooters have a lot of promise at replacing mid-distance car travel.
Like, no one’s going to take those little scooters on a 10-mile trip. And few people are going to walk more than about 3/4 of a mile (in most cases).
If we could replace many of the 1-5 mile trips that people take in cars with scooter trips traffic, fuel use, environmental impact would all be lower. It’s not lazy to not want to walk 3 miles.
