The sight of security guards mounted on Segways patrolling shopping malls is now fairly commonplace. The development history of these two-wheeled transportation devices is quite fascinating. The design (first patented in 1994) emerged from ongoing refinements in technology; it was a time when tiny MEMs acceleration and gyroscopic sensors had become relatively cheap and microcontrollers were fast enough to run algorithms to process the information and achieve a stable ‘inverted pendulum’ control system.

The Segway PT (Personal Transporter) was developed from the self-balancing iBOT wheelchair which was initially developed at the University of Plymouth, in conjunction with BAE Systems and Sumitomo Precision Products. When details of the prototype were first leaked to the press Steve Jobs applauded the concept saying it was as big a deal as the PC (but not the iMac… presumably).  The design has undergone many iterations including a safety recall in 2003 to modify the control behaviour and ensure a safe shutdown before the battery voltage drops too low.

Found in a Barn

This recent barn-find is an early prototype of the Segway concept, originally developed as an all-terrain shelter. It allows fieldworkers to position themselves without disturbing nearby wildlife. Technical Details of this example are sketchy but it is thought to be capable of speeds less than 1 mph. Experts are uncertain how much this example is likely to fetch when it comes up for auction early in April.