I have always thought that the Segway was more cool than funny and it gives you a kind of freedom that nothing else can give you. Add to that the fact that it is powered by clean fuel and you have a way of commuting that is as good as it gets. But then, the Segway is no longer something that is limited to just the super market or the commute to the office. It is the cops that are now hanging out on these cool and clean vehicles to nab the bad guys and make sure that the neighbourhood is safe and peaceful.
Segway i2 is all set to serve the law in the Cleveland and it is doing so with the technological prowess that enables it to turn on a dime and switch from a walking speed of 3 mph to a sprint at 12.5 mph in an instant. The department tested out the models a few years back and have now committed two to permanent airport duty at a price of about $6,000 a pop, allowing officers patrolling the concourses to make sure they catch the idiotic speedheads and those who break the law.
It’s unclear whether the department has plans to expand its Segway fleet but the experiment so far is a huge hit and hopefully will catch on for both the safety that these vehicles offer and the maneuverability they come with. This surely should brighten up those cops!
Comments
Wow that’s pretty cool. I still think they are pretty funny when people are zooming around on them. Seeing someone on an airport leaning at a 70 degree angle and going at a jogging speed is just too funny. I laugh every time I see that. If anyone has seen IronMan you get to see one of the characters do just that, I couldn’t contain myself and laughed out loud in the theater. Didn’t get too many happy glances though. But hey you only live once. :)
Finally the cops get something other than a bike to pursue these criminals down the airports...but still toooooo funny.
As funny as it is it might be very handy on the street and it really comes in handy when space is a premium. But ya it can get funny at times too. But still i almost have never lost the fascination towards a Segway. There is something about uncovered vehicles that is liberating and this one is clean too!
Actually to be honest I found an article somewhere a couple months ago that teach you how to make your own Segway. It is cheaper but doesn’t have all the safety features that the normal ones have. You might learn a thing or two in the process as well.
Building a Balancing Scooter Like the Segway
That is pretty fine piece and really is worth a shot if one can find that amount of time. Now i really hope that they launch some kind of Segway here pretty soon and i will make sure i take this to my electronics lab and see what can come out of it. Nice link, Thanks.
Well I wish I could build one but I wouldn’t take the time to build it. I wouldn’t be caught dead on one of those. It wouldn’t work where I live anyway, and I think if I rode it it would need those safety features.
They haven’t brought in Segways where you live? Can’t you order them from a manufacturer in the US?
I live in Hyderabad in India and to the best of my knowledge there are none here. I did ask one of my friends living in San Jose to bring it for me but the conversions in currency mean I have to pay a huge amount for it. So that was the end of that. Anyway I once saw a Segway from Ferrari and that was simply awesome. Anyway I hope they come here soon...
Oh yeah I see what you mean. That sucks. It shouldn’t be long though, until they release in Hyderabad. :P