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Segway scooters come to mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_Inc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_Inc. I remember in the early aughts when these thin
by wmeredith 4y ago
Segway scooters come to mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_Inc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_Inc.
I remember in the early aughts when these things first came out, there was press talking about how cities were going to be rebuilt to accommodate them as a primary mode of transportation. Now, they're basically a novelty mode of transport with a few niche use-cases.
- PaulHoule 4y agoThe Segway is a strange case. I grew up in Manchester, NH where those things came from, when I went there to visit in the 2000s I would see strange sights such as a Segway user driving pedestrians off the sidewalk or police officers testing them in the parking lot of Zayres, a failed discount store. (Looked like something out of Demolition Man) Today there are numerous "hoverboard" devices that work the same as a Segway but are built somewhat differently. The Segway is also the canonical design for a self-balancing pseudo biped robot today. The Segway is a case of patent law holding up innovation: Dean Kamen had a terrible idea about how to apply the technology that just didn't work and the patents just delayed people coming to market with products people want.