Fw: "IT" is finally unveiled
Peter Kilby
peter.kilby@btconnect.com
Mon, 3 Dec 2001 14:38:50 -0000
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Monday, 3 December, 2001, 12:06 GMT=20
'IT' is finally unveiled
"IT" is here. IT generated a huge amount of hype and speculation in =
January this year when news of its existence first emerged.=20
The IT in question is the invention of US engineer Dean Kamen and was =
finally unveiled today on American TV.=20
IT is a scooter. But not just any scooter.=20
It might look like an old-fashioned lawn mower, but the one-person, =
two-wheeled, battery-powered scooter is packed with technology that =
reportedly makes it easy to ride and hard to fall off.=20
Traffic jams=20
The Segway Human Transporter has gyroscopes to keep it upright and a =
sensitive steering mechanism that starts the scooter moving when its =
rider leans forward.=20
The machine has a top speed of 27 kilometres per hour (17 miles per =
hour), and one charge of its battery holds enough juice for a 27-km =
(17-mile) trip.=20
Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, expects it to be a huge hit in =
cities where traffic congestion clogs the roads.=20
Details of the scooter were unveiled on ABC Television's Good Morning =
America breakfast show.=20
On the show, inventor Kamen said using the Segway was like putting on a =
pair of "magic sneakers".=20
Stirling speculation=20
"All the knowledge that went into knowing how to walk goes into this =
machine," said Mr Kamen. "It kind of walks for you."=20
Even before launch, the contraption has its first customers. The US =
Postal Service, General Electric and the US National Parks have =
reportedly agreed to buy many heavy-duty models for $8,000 (=A35,609) =
each.=20
But consumer versions costing $3000 (=A32,100) will not be available for =
a year.=20
The Segway scooter is also detailed in an article in an issue of Time =
Magazine. Mr Kamen told the magazine: "Cars are great for going long =
distances. But it makes no sense at all for people in cities to use a =
4,000-pound piece of metal to haul their 150-pound asses around town."=20
Recently Mr Kamen has filed several patents for scooters and personal =
transporters that can carry people over rough terrain.=20
Some have speculated that the scooter will use a variation of the =
economic Stirling engine as its power source. Companies owned by Mr =
Kamen have recently reserved domain names such as mystirlingscooter.com =
and flywheels.com.=20
Since the first rumours about the Segway started circulating in January, =
the hype about the product has been building.=20
Expectations were raised by the high profile of some of the investors in =
the Segway project, who include Jeff Bezos, boss of online bookstore =
Amazon, and Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple.=20
Past patents=20
Hyperbolic statements about the scooter being "more important than the =
internet" and its invention having as profound an impact as the creation =
of the car fuelled January's wild speculation.=20
Now, Mr Kamen admits that the unveiling of the scooter could leave =
people saying: "Is that it?"=20
He told Time: "It won't beam you up to Mars or turn lead into gold. So, =
sue me."=20
Certainly, Mr Kamen has no doubt that the Segway will succeed. The =
company he controls has constructed a large factory near its New =
Hampshire headquarters that will be capable of producing 40,000 Segways =
a month by the end of 2002.=20
Mr Kamen is a prolific inventor. He holds over 100 patents for devices =
as diverse as a portable dialysis machine and a motorised wheelchair =
that can climb stairs.=20
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1689000/1689106.stm
Peter
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN class=3Ddate><FONT face=3D"Times =
New Roman"=20
size=3D3>Monday, 3 December, 2001, 12:06 GMT </FONT></SPAN>
<DIV class=3Dheadlinestory><B>'IT' is finally =
unveiled</B><BR></DIV><FONT=20
face=3Dsans-serif size=3D2><!-- NOLImage -->
<DIV class=3Dinlineimage> </DIV><!-- /NOLImage -->
<DIV class=3Dbodytext>"IT" is here. IT generated a huge amount of hype =
and=20
speculation in January this year when news of its existence first =
emerged.=20
<P></FONT><FONT face=3Dsans-serif size=3D2>The IT in question is the =
invention of US=20
engineer Dean Kamen and was finally unveiled today on American TV.=20
<P>IT is a scooter. But not just any scooter.=20
<P>It might look like an old-fashioned lawn mower, but the one-person,=20
two-wheeled, battery-powered scooter is packed with technology that =
reportedly=20
makes it easy to ride and hard to fall off.=20
<P>
<P><B>Traffic jams</B>=20
<P>The Segway Human Transporter has gyroscopes to keep it upright and a=20
sensitive steering mechanism that starts the scooter moving when its =
rider leans=20
forward.=20
<P>The machine has a top speed of 27 kilometres per hour (17 miles per =
hour),=20
and one charge of its battery holds enough juice for a 27-km (17-mile) =
trip.=20
<P>Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, expects it to be a huge hit =
in cities=20
where traffic congestion clogs the roads.=20
<P>Details of the scooter were unveiled on ABC Television's Good Morning =
America=20
breakfast show.=20
<P>On the show, inventor Kamen said using the Segway was like putting on =
a pair=20
of "magic sneakers".=20
<P><B>Stirling speculation</B>=20
<P>"All the knowledge that went into knowing how to walk goes into this=20
machine," said Mr Kamen. "It kind of walks for you."=20
<P>Even before launch, the contraption has its first customers. The US =
Postal=20
Service, General Electric and the US National Parks have reportedly =
agreed to=20
buy many heavy-duty models for $8,000 (=A35,609) each.=20
<P></FONT><FONT face=3Dsans-serif size=3D2>But consumer versions costing =
$3000=20
(=A32,100) will not be available for a year.=20
<P>The Segway scooter is also detailed in an article in an issue of Time =
Magazine. Mr Kamen told the magazine: "Cars are great for going long =
distances.=20
But it makes no sense at all for people in cities to use a 4,000-pound =
piece of=20
metal to haul their 150-pound asses around town."=20
<P>Recently Mr Kamen has filed several patents for scooters and personal =
transporters that can carry people over rough terrain.=20
<P>Some have speculated that the scooter will use a variation of the =
economic=20
Stirling engine as its power source. Companies owned by Mr Kamen have =
recently=20
reserved domain names such as mystirlingscooter.com and flywheels.com.=20
<P>Since the first rumours about the Segway started circulating in =
January, the=20
hype about the product has been building.=20
<P>Expectations were raised by the high profile of some of the investors =
in the=20
Segway project, who include Jeff Bezos, boss of online bookstore Amazon, =
and=20
Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple.=20
<P><B>Past patents</B>=20
<P>Hyperbolic statements about the scooter being "more important than =
the=20
internet" and its invention having as profound an impact as the creation =
of the=20
car fuelled January's wild speculation.=20
<P>Now, Mr Kamen admits that the unveiling of the scooter could leave =
people=20
saying: "Is that it?"=20
<P>He told Time: "It won't beam you up to Mars or turn lead into gold. =
So, sue=20
me."=20
<P>Certainly, Mr Kamen has no doubt that the Segway will succeed. The =
company he=20
controls has constructed a large factory near its New Hampshire =
headquarters=20
that will be capable of producing 40,000 Segways a month by the end of =
2002.=20
<P>Mr Kamen is a prolific inventor. He holds over 100 patents for =
devices as=20
diverse as a portable dialysis machine and a motorised wheelchair that =
can climb=20
stairs.=20
<P><FONT face=3DArial></FONT></P></DIV></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1689000/1689106.=
stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1689000/1689106.stm=
</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Peter</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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