Inventor Devises Own Super Scooter
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (UPI) -- The trendy and expensive Segway self-balancing scooters were too much for a California inventor, who single-handedly created his own version from scratch.
The scooters have two large wheels, between which the rider stands, holding a central T-shaped control handle. Real Segways sell for $4,500, but inventor Trevor Blackwell created his own for about $2,000, ABC news reported Wednesday.
After about 100 hours of work over the course of one week, Blackwell emerged from his workshop with a low-tech version of the high-tech Segway.
Using pieces of aluminum, wheelchair motors, radio-control car batteries and just one gyroscope instead of the Segway's five, Blackwell created what he calls simply, a scooter.
"There's nothing here that couldn't have been done 20 years ago," Blackwell said. The award for foresight goes to Segway inventor Dean Kamen, he says.
But is it better than a real Segway? Blackwell is the first to say "No way -- the commercial Segway is a lot safer. It's got backup systems."
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (UPI) -- The trendy and expensive Segway self-balancing scooters were too much for a California inventor, who single-handedly created his own version from scratch.
The scooters have two large wheels, between which the rider stands, holding a central T-shaped control handle. Real Segways sell for $4,500, but inventor Trevor Blackwell created his own for about $2,000, ABC news reported Wednesday.
After about 100 hours of work over the course of one week, Blackwell emerged from his workshop with a low-tech version of the high-tech Segway.
Using pieces of aluminum, wheelchair motors, radio-control car batteries and just one gyroscope instead of the Segway's five, Blackwell created what he calls simply, a scooter.
"There's nothing here that couldn't have been done 20 years ago," Blackwell said. The award for foresight goes to Segway inventor Dean Kamen, he says.
But is it better than a real Segway? Blackwell is the first to say "No way -- the commercial Segway is a lot safer. It's got backup systems."
Charles Mims
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