A true "Last Mile" device.

At the right price, Toyota will sell zillions.
Why? Because they know how to sell things.

And its no competition for the Segway because Segways were never legal in Japan. Too big and fast for their sidewalks. Can't compete with something that never made it out of the gate.

Sony holds a patent.
Sony/Toyota has very deep pockets.
Sony/Toyota can squish Segway Inc like a bug.
Not fun to watch at all.

Sony holds a patent dated in 2007 for a similar self-balancing design. LLC's patents clearly precede that date by many years. The Winglet also appears to utilize a varient of Segway's Leansteer technology. It will be interesting to see if Segway can make some money off Toyota for some much needed cash.

Sales of other EPAMDs are a good thing, IMHO. I would like to see more disabled & elderly using similar devices all over the world. Having a bit of market competition is a good thing. I like the idea of very small, portible mobility devices and I like the suspension system built into the Toyota platform. This is actually all very good news for EPAMD owners the world over.

It's just a matter of time: widespread adoption of personal transport is an inevitability. If it's not Segway doing the innovation and marketing-- someone else will.

SEGsb

It's still in development, so this is like a "concept" car, or "vaporware" as the computer people call it.
They seem to have learned some lessons from Segway
- Go in with deep, deep pockets
- Keep the speed low, at first, to sell it to the legislators as harmless
- Style them well, take away the "dork" factor that Steve Jobs (the best "cool" marketer in the world) identified right from the start.

They also seem to be relying on developments in battery technology to keep the form factor small. But these are the guys who sell the Prius and have Matsushita Electric aka Panasonic working with them.

The big question is marketing and pricing. If they do it aggressively then Segway will have a challenge. And I personally don't think it would be a bad thing. Dealing with legislation, marketing, and pricing are the three big failures of Segway Inc in my humble opinion.
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Dwight

I don't know about that, John. It might be a viable Last Mile device for the disabled or the elderly, but for able-bodied individuals, I don't really see the benefit to a device that literally only moves as fast as somebody walks.

I remember the original online marketing materials for the Segway when it came out... they showed a map demonstrating how far one can walk in a certain amount of time, versus how far one could Segway. When the Last Mile can be traversed in 5 minutes by Segway versus 15-20 minutes by walking, that's a big improvement. But when it's the same time....

Toyota/Sony could make a generous offer to buy out all the shares of Segway Inc's investors, buy Kamen's patents for more money he'll ever make building EPAMD's and pay for it all out of their petty cash account. Then shut down the Bedford assembly plant forever. Like I said, squish.

Remember Pearl Harbor.
JohnM, SDPHS #3786

The benefit is simple: You don't have to walk a mile.

I think that INC has done a remarkable job with legislation. While there are some hold-outs (especially at the local level), 43 states have specifically embraced Segways. I don't think that bookies would have accepted those odds in 2001. INC has done such a good job, in fact, that many local authorities are surprised to learn that Segways are legal in their state :).

As long as the competition sticks to INC's usual definition of a EPAMD (electric powered, self-balancing, two non-tandem wheels, designed to carry one person, max 15mph), they'll greatly benefit from the trail-blazing that INC has done for them with respect to legislation.

This is true. But at least Segway owners can deflect the "you're so lazy!" arguments by pointing to the speed gains, and how this isn't a replacement for walking but for driving my car. There is no way to refute such arguments on a Winglet.

I don't know, I have never met Dean personally nor talked to him on the matter in any form, but I like to think that the Segway is his baby. I like to think that he holds on for reasons other than financial, given as he certainly has the money to. I like to think that he would not sell the patents and shut down Bedford no matter what the price.

I could be very wrong here, and I know there are people here that actually know him. Please do shed some light on whether my thoughts of him are right or wrong!