Simply moving!

The technology inside a Segway PT consists of an intelligent network of sensors, mechanical assemblies, and control systems that balance and move you on two wheels. The second you step on, five micro-machined gyroscopes and two accelerometers sense the changing terrain and your body position at 100 times per second – faster than your brain can think.

The latest advancements

LeanSteer™ technology – Redefining responsiveness

If Segway PTs were intuitive before, they’re positively instinctive now, thanks to the latest innovation known as LeanSteer technology.

The LeanSteer frame and handlebar tilt left and right in response to your body’s natural inclination to lean into the direction you want to travel. With LeanSteer technology, the Segway PT seems to anticipate your every move, and adjusts to your slightest whim.

InfoKey™ controller – Totally wireless, total control.

It’s a key. It’s an information center. It’s an alarm device. And each wireless InfoKey controller is uniquely programmed to start and lock a specific Segway PT. Slip your InfoKey controller into the dock on the LeanSteer frame, slip it in your pocket, or wear it on a lanyard around your neck. Powered on, it provides real-time info on battery life, speed, and system performance.

At your destination, it arms your Segway PT’s built-in security features.

Anti-theft –Park it with confidence.

Every Segway PT has a built-in anti-theft system to discourage others from tampering with your Segway PT. Just press the security button on your InfoKey controller.

If someone attempts to move your Segway PT in any way, an alarm will sound, your Segway PT will start vibrating, the wheels will lock, and a visual alert will be sent wirelessly to your InfoKey controller. Now that’s sophisticated security.

Segway demystified

It’s accepted.

The Segway PT is designed to operate as a pedestrian device anywhere someone can safely walk. Most jurisdictions and private properties allow Segway PTs in pedestrian areas. Check with local authorities and property owners before riding.

Segway Inc. also maintains up-to-date information at www.segway.com/regulatory.

It’s frugal.

The Segway PT is powered by a pair of lithium-ion batteries that automatically recharge when you ride downhill. Fresh out of hills? Just plug your Segway PT into any wall outlet. It takes about 15 minutes to get enough charge to travel one mile/1.6 km. A full day’s charge costs less than a newspaper.

It’s effortless.

The Segway PT’s brushless motors are maintenance-free. There’s no oil to change or clutch to replace. Just keep it charged, check the tire pressure and go.

It’s trustworthy.

The Segway PT’s platform features balance indicators that let you know it’s safe to step on. They gently pulse to say “welcome aboard,” and flicker in a chase pattern when you’re balanced and ready to move. Multiple redundant subsystems work continuously to ensure that you remain balanced and come to a safe, controlled stop in the unlikely event of a component failure. If critical systems malfunction, your Segway PT will alert you with a gentle vibration of the platform, an audio signal, and details on your InfoKey controller.

It’s tried and true.

During development, our engineers make sure that the Segway PT is subjected to millions of cycles of fatigue testing to ensure the highest quality, reliability, and durability.

Download Segway Product Brochure

PDF format, 5.2MB.

The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle invented by Dean Kamen. It is produced by Segway Inc. of New Hampshire. The name "Segway" is a homophone of "segue" (a smooth transition, literally Italian for "follows"). PT is an initialism for personal transporter while the old acronym HT was an initialism for human transporter.

Computers and motors in the base of the device keep the Segway PT upright when powered on with balancing enabled. Users lean forward to go forward, lean back to go backward, and turn by using a "Lean Steer" handlebar, leaning it left or right. Earlier HTs used a twist grip to steer by twisting the grip left and right. Segway PTs are driven by electric motors at up to 5.6 m/s (12.5 mph/20 km/h). Gyroscopic sensors (see vibrating structure gyroscope) are used to detect tilting of the device which indicates a departure from perfect balance. Motors driving the wheels are commanded as needed to bring the PT back into balance. Segways do not use traditional mechanical brakes but rather the motor decelerates as needed to brake; this makes their legal use uncertain on public roads in some jurisdictions which classify them as some form of motor vehicle and have only one definition for braking mechanisms.

In laws that regulate it, the applicable category is often called "electric personal assistive mobility device" (EPAMD). A niche that Segways have been often adopted beyond that of individuals commuting to work [as in photo], is transportation across police departments, military bases, warehouses, corporate campuses or industrial sites. Driving a Segway PT instead of a car is legal in 99% of all communities of the USA. Exceptions to this which comprise the 1% are exhaustively listed in the "Restrictions of Use" section [below] maintained by activists from concerned pedestrian groups. (Wikipedia.org)

Visit Segway Official Website

ABOUT SEGWAY

Who We Are
Dedicated to moving you

One day Dean Kamen saw a young man in a wheelchair struggling to get over a curb. He thought about it, and realized that the problem wasn't ineffective wheelchairs, it was that the world was built for people who could balance. So he and his team created the Independence IBOT™ Mobility System, a self-balancing mobility device that enables users to climb stairs and negotiate sand, rocks, and curbs. But restoring balance also accomplished something even more dramatic—it elevated them on two wheels, so they could see the world at eye level. If balancing technology could provide such benefits to people who couldn't walk, what could it do for people with full mobility?

For people with full mobility, using a balance machine had far-reaching possibilities. Typically industrial design is an afterthought. However, we brought the team in early because the design of the Segway PT is integral to the way it functions. Sophisticated computer programming was added, the electronics and drive systems evolved, and Dean chose the right partners—not just investors with money but people willing to invest in his vision.

Then Segway PT took on a life of its own. A new company was established and key outside suppliers, who would play an integral role throughout the development process, were brought on board. And Segway PT kept evolving, driven by creativity and the desire to build something that could make a difference.

Our inspiration for the name Segway came from the word segue, which is defined as, "to transition smoothly from one state to another." A Segway PT transforms a person into an empowered pedestrian, allowing him/her to go farther, move more quickly and carry more.

Which brings us to today's Segway PT – Simply moving.

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