I heard interviews withthe inventor about a year ago, and he was relatively unconcerned about lackluster sales. To him , the point was the development more than the profit.
Yes, the application of the Segway’s stabilization system to this “scooter” does not seem to be something that poeple are particularly interested in right now, but it is an impressive display of the technology. Even though we might never consider buying one, and can’t imagine society transformed by them, when we first saw it run, we all said, “Cool!”
Such a responsive equilibrium-maintaining technology is going to have a million applications that people WILL pay for, and Segway have put themselves on the map as the people who can deliver it NOW.
All the hype was exactly that, to get attention for the company. I promise you that wheels are turning in the minds of engineers who have a practical idea for applying the Segway’s breakthrough, and that’s when they’ll make some dough.
