Personally I find this very interesting. First off I wonder about acceleration. Without a handlebar how do you balance when it changes vectors, it might need to employ a wide turn so you don't have it moving 15 mph in one direction and the rider moving 15 mph in another
. It appears to have a good clearance and doesn't appear to employ a stabilization wheel (I think they put that under it to prop it up for the picture, and is in fact not an actual piece of the device).
Having started doing research for a design of mine Ive started to realize how loose a patents can be. Since we know little to nothing about the technology employed on this device I think its safe to say that if they built it and plan on marketing it then chances are it wont violate any patents. Patents are
very specific, hence the need for a lawyer, and little changes are often enough to constitute a new invention. Unfortunately you can't patent "a two wheeled electronic balancing transporter", though maybe trademarking the image.... probably not
. In fact Ive come across a couple other 2 wheeled inventions currently being marketed, though admittedly none of them were meant for transportation of humans. Of coarse not being a patent lawyer, only starting to become familiar with the intricacies of patents, and no knowledge of the mechanics of this device I can only speculate.
Anyways I do agree with them that its portability has good marketing potential. I also agree with posts here that with any transportations vehicle it is going to have safety hazards and is probably going to employ safety gear you wouldn't otherwise use on Segway, like elbow pads
. The only thing nagging at me is that that safety cutoff button appears so be on a very dinky cable and I can just imagine it getting under the wheels and snagged on something. I wonder how Segway will respond to this potential source of competition... Overall it's an interesting path for the two wheeled transportation devices to take (and yes calling it a Segway despite resemblances stretches some barriers pretty thin). Does anyone know when or if they plan to market it to the public and at what price?