Segway for Kids introduced

Because I wasn't in the office yesterday, I fell for the following April Fool's Day prank story
today when I read my mail. Given the interest in the Segway in r.b.m., I thought this might be
of interest.

**Segway for Kids Introduced** -- Although introduced with much fanfare, the Segway Human
Transporter (HT) has enjoyed only minimal success in the marketplace. Part of the problem, some
analysts believe, is the device's lack of easy classification: is it something to ride to work or
for fun on the weekends, or is it better suited for postal carriers and other vertical markets? Many
people seem to want one, but not many can tell you what they want one for. Now, however, inventor
Dean Kamen is about to quell such questioning. A spokesperson for Segway explained, "We discovered
that adults who have settled into traditional means of transportation haven't entirely grasped the
concept of a personal transporter. But those same people's kids are crazy about it, and better yet,
parents love anything that lets them avoid schlepping their kids around all the time."

<http://www.segway.com/> <http://www.segway.com/aboutus/press_releases/pr_040103.html>

Today the company announced the Segway Kids Interactive Transporter (KIT), more commonly referred
to as the "Segwee." Proportioned to fit smaller humans (but adjustable to account for fast
growth), the Segwee sports two oversized nubby wheels and the same gyroscope-directed motion
system. In a surprise move, the Segwee actually travels faster than its adult counterpart. "Not
only do kids have less fear of falling," said the Segway spokesperson, "we discovered in our
testing that they possess much more control at higher speeds." She went on to explain that the
Segwee could potentially improve a child's balance, coordination, and response rates, though she
quickly admitted that she had no hard data to support those claims. Thanks to lower component
costs and manufacturing economies, the Segwee will be priced much lower than the Segway HT: $2,000
versus $5,000. When the Segwee becomes available in early 2004, Segway expects it to outperform
the slow-selling Segway HT thanks to its lower cost and the increasing number of children whose
bus routes are being cut in an era of sharply reduced school budgets. [JLC]

<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.03/segway.html>
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007EPJ6/tidbitselectro00