The Segway PUMA - Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility Vehicle

Awesome vehicle ! I'm glad to see we are moving away from gas guzzling SUV-Hummer type vehicles to more sustainable transportation.
I just hope they can overcome the hurdles of the finicky consumer who wants all the bells and whistles. Somehow I don't see this being able to handle those Boom-boxes and 15" speakers ;>}

This is terrific. Finicky customers overcome the bells and whistles? Richard, wait until the Department of Transportation flaps their finicky wings: headlights, turn signals, bumpers, windshield wipers. And DMV will have a field day!

Innovation, creativity and determination. What a concept!

Thanks for commenting, Richard Owl Mirror and Aunt Boni H. Yes, I agree that this is a great development. It's fascinating to see Segway develop further electric vehicles using their awesome balancing technology.

I remember how some people were disappointed at the prospect of having to wear a helmet when traveling on the old Segway. It looks like this hurdle at least will be overcome by the PUMA - and you can remain seated as well. Cheers! Sam Carana

What is the expected cost of the PUMA?

Looks like a high-tech golf-cart, without the carrying capacity. In fact, it would be hard to find a place to put your cell phone. Doesn't look all that practical to me.

It should appeal to the same sort of people who use a Segway, but are too lazy to stand up (or want to take a girlfriend for a ride--a skinny girlfriend.)

Yes I also saw this on the news Sam; however, as I'm older safety would be an issue for me.

Also of note, this 'new' technology may be valuable in ways that are not determined or in unforeseen ways in the future.

Great post, Sam! I think it's brilliant, and I totally agree that it's awesome to see the Segway concept continue to be developed and enhanced.

Terry: "What is the expected cost of the PUMA? "

It's still a prototype, but a press release says that "ideally its total operating cost — including purchase price, insurance, maintenance and fuel — would total between one-fourth and one-third of that of the average traditional vehicle".

Linda: "And just where would you drive these vehicles? On the road with real cars? And where would people put their kids? Or their groceries? Looks like a very impractical vehicle to me. Why would someone really want this vehicle. You certainly couldn't commute in the thing from one city to the next. I can just see it know, sorry I was ten hours late to work, I had to let my PUMA get her electricity fix. I am sure it will be just as popular as the motorized skateboard with a handle."

This type of vehicle does indeed make us reconsider how to design cities, roads and suburbs. I've written articles on Communities without Roads and Small Houses, and the Segway would fit in perfectly in such environments. Also have a look at the Electric Helicopter for long-distance travel.

As it stands right now, it's not terribly practical. But it is a PROTOTYPE people, that means it's a testbed for the technology. It's just a step in design evolution.

As it stands right now, it's application is pretty limited...warm environments only, and people who live within a few miles of where they work in a large city. There aren't any windows so I can't see New Yorkers enjoying this idea in the wintertime. But maybe in Atlanta...

And if a price tag were put on it right now, it'd probably be too expensive for what it does. But again, it's a prototype - as the tech improves, and production is streamlined, the price will drop. High end tech stuff always does.

Once it's in production, even if it doesn't do much here, I could see it doing very well in China. They have serious pollution concerns and an authoritarian government to pass stringent laws...but more importantly, many people there are used to riding bikes, so this is a huge luxury UPGRADE for them, not down.

Here in the US, at least at first, I think the primary customers would be people who are eager to show off to all their friends how "green" they are. I think we all know at least one of those guys. They were the first to overpay for hybrid cars too. :)

It's just so cute. I'd love one to ride kids around the backyard on the weekends. Or when I go visit family we could take it to back of the property and have a race-off with the four-wheelers. :) What fun.

As Richard B. says, safety is a huge issue for many reasons.

I wouldn't be caught dead going through a bad neighborhood (yes there are actually bad neighborhoods no matter how un pc it is to say it) ... as I said, I wouldn't be caught dead going through a dangerous neighborhood with a quarter inch of metal and glass surrounding me, much less in one of these invitations to robbery and assault. Then again, maybe I would be caught dead if I drove one of these through the wrong part of town or down the wrong coast.

But I also absolutely agree the technology is awesome and someone somewhere will find a use for it. As Tad says, China maybe. Or as a work-based fleet for employees to use when they take lunch too close for a car but a stretch for walking ... or when delivering a report of some kind across a large work 'campus.'

And on that note, Microsoft employees may be the first to find them useful; as soon as they get their bridge built.




Yes I also saw this on the news Sam; however, as I'm older safety would be an issue for me.

Also of note, this 'new' technology may be valuable in ways that are not determined or in unforeseen ways in the future.
Richard B., Apr 8, 2009, 2:02pm EDT

Good point, Lee, Microsoft is offering to contribute $17.5 million to the $36 million cost of the bridge, that is to go from the parking lot behind Microsoft's West campus across the highway to Microsoft's East campus. Note how many millions of dollars go into the cost of roads, highways and bridges.

The Segway calls for another urban layout, with different type of roads and pathways, and with different type of buildings. If we remove the roads, highways and bridges, and all the greentsrips, the off-ramps, etc., then we'll have a lot more space.

Roads and parking spaces can take up more than half the urban land. Then, each house may have a driveway and a garage that fits two or more cars, while there are further parking places on the road in front of the house.

Imagine that we removed the cars and all the space taken by them... Then, we could live in houses that are much smaller and that are also much closer together, as I discussed in my article on Small Houses. That would be an environment where such a Segway would fit in much better.

Look at how much mobile phones and GPS-location technology has changed the world and can further contribute to security, navigation and collision prevention. I can definitely see such vehicles flourish in Communities without Roads.

Love it!

Celebration, Florida was one of the first towns to have Segways in the ordinary course. Celebration is an idyllic, Disney created town with a manmade lake and a waterfront with rocking chairs. Music is piped into the town square and one of the favorite pasttimes is sitting outside at one of the restaurants and people watching. Celebration is highly regulated with restrictions on house and lot sizes and even the color of your front door. There was an interesting mix of people living there. Retirees, some employees of Disney and a mixture of people looking for the real smal town America. Celebration hospital - state of the art, complete with health club and other facilities.

There was a decided lack of diversity from a race and ethnicity standpoint as well as a financial standpoint. Segways took the place of golf carts that you find in some retirement communities. Individuals rode them to work and around town. My friends and I were the ones sitiing outside at the restaurants and people watching. Our first concern was whether the prevalence of Segways, which (I have heard) require the most minimal of movement to go in the directin and at the speed you want, would further discourage an overweight society from walking and other heart rate raising activities.

The beauty of a small town is one's ability to get everywhere by walking or biking. So, seeing Segways being tested in that environment did not at all tell the big picture. Yes, it would be amzing for urban planners to begin planning cities and roads and towns in a manner that would allow safe and productive use of any type of Segway. But is it putting the cart before the horse?

Yes, China and other overcrowded countries or cities that still have a mix of old and new in their culture would be able to use Segways sooner than those of us in the US. I haven't done any research, but I wonder if Segway had or has a viable market in mind. Here in Chicago we see them primarily at airports and secondarily as vehicles for use in touring downtown Chicago and the lakefront. The stores have dwindled to one and I understand that other than for tour use, they really have no use.

Such amzinag technology - but was it really created in a vacuum? If not, I wonder about the big picture. SOmething to look into in my "spare time."

Thanks for that insight, Sandi. Yes, it's fascinating to follow such developments and see where the Segway technology will catch on first. My feeling is that it will be places like a university campuses, theme parks, retirement villages and other type of communities that have pathways rather than roads. I hope to hear more from you, Sandi, if you come across further developments.
Cheers! Sam Carana

What a GREAT ARTICLE Sam!

This is NOW FEATURED in Artistic Therapy

Your Friend,
Rene

Sam,
I had not seen this yet and am glad you posted it. This is truly fantastic technology and I, too, am glad to see the development. It will be interesting to see how much this advances and how many people would use it. I agree these are perfect for the places you've mentioned (ie campuses, theme parks, etc. etc).

It's very interesting and innovative, if not practical. We live on a lake in a woodsy area. Some of our neighbors use golf carts to visit one another or transport material around their property. Some have batteries, so there is no need for gas. They don't drive them on the busy roads, though.

I once saw a man in a power chair get hit by a car. It was horrible. He was crossing four lanes of fast traffic against the light. He died after several hours in the ER. I don't think we're ready for PUMA in mainstream USA, but it's clever.

Yes, there's much scope for the PUMA at places such as golf courts, campuses, theme parks, campsites, urban parks and gardens, trailer parks, care communities, hospitals, retirement villages and other type of places that have pathways, such as footpaths and bicycle paths, rather than roads. Communities without Roads may be purpose-designed for small electric vehicles - the Segway PUMA would fit in perfectly in such environments.

Thanks for giving us the LINK Sam ~ I'm going to go check it out NOW!

This hit me as exciting at a very gut level and I read through the debates about it with interest.  I really like the way you see it as leverage to help us think about different kinds of communities for the future and it shows us again just how much we need to try into better visions.

This is awsome!!! I want one!

Better than my vette!