It was code-named "Ginger" and was going to be nothing short of a revolution. And for many months, speculation was rife on the Internet as to just what the revolution was going to be about. Was it a communications device? Was it another medical innovation?
Its inventor, Dean Kamen, became famous -- and grew rich -- for having developed various medical technologies, including the world's first portable dialysis machine. He'd most recently invented a US$25,000 wheel chair, the IBOT, that goes over curbs, climbs stairs, and lifts its user to eye-level with the rest of the world.
Given the nature of his last invention, those who knew Kamen best supposed it was likely a transportation device.
What it turned out to be was Segway HT, short for "human transporter." And while it hasn't proven to be quite the revolution that was promised, the technology behind the invention has some promising applications.
And now Segway has come to Taiwan. The company opened a sales center in Neihu (內湖) in August and has turned motorists' heads on Minchuan East Road since then.
The first question most people ask: What keeps you from falling down?
The answer: At first, it's the sales rep holding the machine for you. My first step onto Segway nearly sent me to the floor. The question was which way, onto my back or on top of Segway sales representative Laura Jian (簡竹均符), who was standing in front of me, trying to steady both the machine and my nerves. I'd broken the first and only rule of riding a Segway by allowing my feet to rock back and forth. Doing so causes the machine to overcompensate by accelerating front and back in rapid succession.
"Keep your feet steady and your body straight," Jian said. "Let the Segway balance you instead of trying to balance yourself on the machine."
She was right. The minute you trust the machine to balance you is the moment you gain control. A moment later I was zipping around the showroom, albeit less gracefully than Jian had in her demonstration. She was able to dance a little jig on the machine while I looked more like Wile E. Coyote on an ACME rental. Still, heads on Minchuan East Road were turning.
Though it's true that Segway is an intuitive ride, the absence of brakes is a bit unsettling at first. Lean forward to go forward, lean back to go back. Turn by twisting the left handle grip. All that was easy. Stopping was a different matter. Riding anything else, stopping is something you do with your foot or hand and as I rolled toward the showroom's glass front wall, I found myself wanting to reach for something that wasn't there.
Trusting the machine to stop by just standing straight again, that part was more difficult. By far the greatest thrill of my test drive, though, was standing on the Segway after bringing it to a complete stop and not having to consciously balance myself.
At the heart of the machine are five gyroscopes and two tilt sensors that work in tandem with speedy computers and high-torque motors -- one for each wheel. The computers check your center of gravity 100 times per second and automatically respond to changes in your body potion. "Dynamic
stabilization," they call it. There's no learning how to ride the Segway beyond having a quick demonstration. Unlike having to learn to ride a bicycle, the Segway already knows how to carry you. Just stand straight.
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