Gadget Freak – What Is A Segway And Why Does Everyone Want It So Much

Everybody knows that men are just grown up boys. This doesn’t mean that we don’t mature, but that we will love our toys no matter how old we are.

Speaking of toys, one has been invented in the past decade that doesn’t only look cool, but gives us a perfect excuse to drive around town while having fun and being eco-friendly at the same time. It’s called a segway, and here is how it became one of the most wanted gadgets in the world.

The Two-Wheeled Origins

The full name of this contraption is Segway PT. Its name is derived from the word ‘segue,’ which means ‘smooth transition,’ while the abbreviation at the end stands for ‘personal transporter.’

Before it was given the name we know it by today, the segway prototype was called Ginger.

It was invented by Dean Kamen in 2001, who was then a student at the University of Plymouth.

His first-ever model of this gadget was called the iBOT wheelchair, which soon evolved into Ginger, and then into the segway.

The segway is equipped with two wheels, a steering wheel, a gyroscope-balanced platform, and an electric motor. The accelerometer leveling sensors inside the platform detect when the driver’s weight is either at the front or at the back of the platform, which in turn makes the segway go forward or backwards.

Since 2001, the segway has undergone a series of improvements and modifications, which mostly revolved around balance and speed. Nowadays, you can rent a segway in many countries around the world, while buying one from its original factory in New Hampshire will cost you from $6,000 to $8,000.