[thechat] IT is here!
Marlene Bruce
marlene at digitizethis.com
Tue Dec 4 01:28:50 CST 2001
http://www.segway.com.edgesuite.net/
<quoted from another email>
THAT'S IT!
Touting it as an environmentally friendly alternative to cars,
inventor Dean Kamen finally unveiled his mysterious creation to the
world this morning. The gizmo -- which has gone by the codenames
"IT" and "Ginger," but will be marketed under the more prosaic
"Segway Human Transporter" -- turns out to be a one-person,
two-wheeled, battery-powered scooter that looks something like a push
lawnmower. Kamen said the Segway "will be to the car what the car
was to the horse-and-buggy," adding that 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." The 65-pound Segway can attain
speeds of 12 miles per hour; the battery charge lasts about 15 miles,
at about 10 cents a charge. The machine apparently handles snow,
ice, and stairs with ease. Cost? $3,000 a pop. The U.S. Postal
Service and Amazon.com are among the first customers.
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