Segway attracts attention on canvas and campus

MOSCOW, Idaho — In its two months in Moscow, the Segway Human Transporter on loan to the Moscow Police Department has apprehended no criminals but has made one painting.

The Segway, driven by University of Idaho liaison officer Tom Barnett, was used recently in a performance-art project designed by master’s degree student Bruce W. Sykes, 49.

“The Segway is something new out there. A lot of people haven’t seen it before, and they’re intrigued by this little motorized vehicle,” said Sykes, a former Pennsylvania high school teacher who has an interest in what he calls “motorized art.”

“The reason I’d like to use it – it can spin on a dime.”

The Segway, which Barnett drove through black and yellow paint over two 9-by-15-foot canvases painted like roads, did draw a crowd.

Students and teachers gathered around to see the latest technology in human transportation. A group of runners jogging by pointed at the vehicle many people have heard of but few have seen.

“This is its best feature,” said campus officer Lee Newbill. “Look at the crowd. It’s such a unique beast – everyone has to come up and talk about it. It’s a great way to interact with the public. … That’s where it really shines.”

The Segway is on loan from the U.S. Department of Justice for six months to give Moscow police the chance to learn if the $4,500 vehicle can do what someone on foot, on a bike or in a patrol car cannot. It will be in Moscow through the summer. Segway tryouts are taking place in several municipalities around the country.

Mostly, the Segway has been used to patrol limited-access areas on the UI campus where cars are not allowed. The vehicle is not street-legal.

The Segway, invented by Dean Kamen, is a self-balancing personal transportation device designed to go anywhere people do. It runs on a rechargeable battery.

It balances using technology called “dynamic stabilization,” which works in a similar way to a human’s sense of balance. In people, the inner ear, eyes, muscles and brain work together to create balance. With the Segway, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, high-speed microprocessors and electric motors work to sense the rider’s center of gravity.

The vehicle has no accelerator or brakes. Lean forward, and the Segway goes forward; lean back, it goes backwards; stand straight, and it stops.

According to the Segway Web site, the machine transforms a person into “an empowered pedestrian,” allowing him or her to “go farther, move more quickly and carry more than could ever be achievable by walking.”

So how does the Segway measure up to the rolling terrain of Moscow?

Newbill, the officer who has spent the most time on the vehicle, said it can climb any hill as long as it’s paved. But put the vehicle on a steep grassy slope and it goes backwards. The Segway needs traction, so driving it in the winter on ice is out of the question.

“Unless you have a death wish,” he said.

The Segway can climb curbs if they are low, up to 3 or 4 inches high. Anything higher impacts the fenders.

The vehicle goes down curbs and stairs fine; however, the only shock-absorber system it has are the rider’s knees, so it can be a jarring experience, said Newbill.

The Segway fits in well on campus, where the sidewalks are wide; however, on older city sidewalks, it tends to push pedestrians into the street.

Not something police want to do, said Newbill.

This particular model would not be useful in apprehending anyone, he said, because if the rider gets off the vehicle quickly, it continues moving until it hits something or “realizes” its driver is gone, which takes several seconds.

In addition, the vehicle would be too slow in a chase because the department did not opt for the key that would make the Segway go faster than 12.5 miles per hour.

The Segway has several color-coded keys that riders may choose from depending on their environment and level of experience.

The beginner key allows the vehicle to go 6 miles per hour. With the sidewalk key, it goes 8 mph. With the open-environment key, it goes 12.5 mph. Another key allows the Segway to go 22 mph.

Newbill said driving the Segway at 22 mph would be “hideously scary.”

However, the Segway would be useful, Newbill said, for parking enforcement.

The vehicle is highly maneuverable, making it easy to check license plates. And the rider does not have to get off to issue a ticket.

But the best thing about the Segway has been its use in meeting and greeting the public, said Newbill.

He has kept a log of people’s reactions, the most common of which is giggling.

Once, someone asked Newbill if he was too lazy to walk. Another time, somebody hummed the theme song from the futuristic cartoon, “The Jetsons.”