We’re at the dawn of the era of electric vehicles. There are electric cars, electric bikes, electric scooters, and now… electric chairs? No, not the torture-murdery kind, but rather Segway has designed what is essentially a futuristic wheelchair for people who don’t need a wheelchair. If you’ve always wanted to try a Segway but wished you could down while doing it, this is the vehicle for you.
The company says it envisions the vehicle being used to let people navigate places like theme parks, airports, campuses, and maybe even some cities. In other words, it’s not really meant as the type of vehicle you’d cruise down a bike lane with – it’s obnoxiously large for that. Then again, I’m not sure a large, presumably heavy vehicle capable of traveling 24 miles per hour should be zipping through airports either.
Unlike traditional Segways, which are controlled by leaning your body back and forth, the S-Pod uses a joystick. I’m having a little trouble seeing how it’s better than a normal powered wheelchair with four wheels (the S-Pod has a few extra wheels which are presumably to lug the unit around when turned off). Mind you, the S-Pod doesn’t seem to be designed with users who do need a wheelchair in mind.
The S-Pod is expected to launch in Q3 of 2020 for businesses, and everyday customers will be able to purchase one in 2021.
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