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Casey
10-25-2002, 07:19 AM
October 25, 2002 - The Daily Orange - Syracuse University caught a glimpse of the future this week. Or rather, the glimpse came to us in the form of a two-wheeled machine carrying junior Eric Fleming around campus for the past two weeks.Full Article (http://www.dailyorange.com/news/305440.html)




Casey
10-25-2002, 07:24 AM
quote:New scooter technology hits SU campus
By Rachel Chang

Syracuse University caught a glimpse of the future this week.

Or rather, the glimpse came to us in the form of a two-wheeled machine carrying junior Eric Fleming around campus for the past two weeks.

The public relations and marketing major turned heads everywhere as he traveled around campus on the 83-pound Segway Human Transporter, a machine that basically walks for him at a smoother and faster pace. A summer intern turned part-time employee of Segway, Fleming obtained permission from the Manchester, N.H., company to borrow one of its I-Series transporters to raise its public visibility, educate students on its unconventional marketing campaign and simply give the SU community a close-up look at the invention hyped to change society.

“It’s been great,” Fleming said. “Everyone from stereotypical frat boys to university employees stop me and say it’s pretty cool. But it’s not easy being the one guy on campus different than the rest.”

That difference goes far beyond the additional 8 inches of height the Segway gives Fleming to tower over others. In lieu of taking steps to move, on the transporter all Fleming has to do is slightly lean in the direction he wants to go. His speed is determined by how much he leans.

“It’s really pretty intuitive,” he said. “It’s like taking your first steps all over again.”

The machine has five gyroscopes and two tilt sensors that continuously “work together to determine the orientation of the machine relative to the direction of gravity,” according to Segway. In other words, the transporter constantly catches you as you tilt your body to move forward or backward. The machine is so quick and similar to walking that you do not even realize what’s going on — it basically senses exactly where you want to go.

“It’s very sensitive,” said military photojournalism student Scott Dunn, who had a chance to ride. “It’s amazing how it controls the slightest muscle movements. The first thing I thought was, ‘My mom could never handle this thing.’ It’s really for the Nintendo generation. It’s a yuppie’s chariot.”

A chariot with definite benefits, that is. Fleming has been able to effortlessly zoom around campus, even climbing up SU’s steep inclines without losing a breath.

It normally takes him 18 minutes to get to campus from his home off Euclid Avenue. With the Segway, it takes him 6 minutes when it’s not rush hour on the Quad.

“You can go farther, get there faster and carry more,” Fleming said. “You can get all your errands done in the time it takes you to walk to school.”

Others, however, do not see themselves riding the transporters around campus quite yet.

“I saw him riding it to class and I burst out laughing to myself,” said Scott Ressler, a junior television, radio and film major who immediately remembered the episode of “Fraiser” he had seen a Segway on. “At the moment, people look very goofy riding it. I’m sure the technology will improve and it will get more aesthetically pleasing.”

Senior public relations and political science major Amy Peterson agrees.

“It’s hard to think of it in the real world,” she said. ”I can see the post office using it, but I can’t imagine walking along and having someone else rolling along next to me.”

Fleming said the long-term goal is to have the Human Transporter help with congestion in dense areas, including major metropolitan cities.

Since the Segway takes just a little more room than human footsteps, the transporters, which can go up to 12.5 mph, hope to relieve some of that congestion.

“This is really a serious product-enhancing tool,” Fleming said.

Some of that productivity has been tested out already by the U.S. Postal Service. Tampa, Fla., mail carriers found that instead of taking the typical 10 to 12 trips back to the mail truck on a route, the Segway allowed them to take only three or four trips, according to a 30-day trial run reported in Investor’s Business Daily.

The product is only available on the commercial market, but Fleming guesses consumers should be able to purchase them within the year. Three models are available, the E-Series for cargo carrying, the I-Series for range and terrain and the P-Series for dense environment, according to Segway. All three models have a zero turning radius allowing riders to move in circles without taking up any additional room.

Key to success

To start riding a Segway, the user needs a unique set of keys that store a 64-bit encrypted code so that no other keys can start that particular machine. There are three different color keys in each set — a black one for learning that goes up to 5 mph, a yellow one for sidewalks that can travel up to 8 mph with more sensitive turning and a red one for open environments such as parks where it can travel up to 12.5 mph.

The thought that has gone into every aspect of building the Human Transporter captures the way Segway handles all of their business, including their press. Internet rumors spread for months about a new invention that was going to revolutionize the world. ABC’s “Good Morning America” hyped up the new invention they simply called “It” for weeks before finally revealing the Human Transporter Dec. 3, with hosts Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer whimsically riding around New York City’s Bryant Park in front of a wide-eyed crowd.

The grassroots publicity buzz about the product grew beyond expectations.

“Segway’s been put in a unique situation where it’s almost fending off media,” Fleming said.

But what impressed Peterson most about the marketing was Fleming himself.

“The kid just interned with them for a summer and he was so knowledgeable and knew so much about the product,” Peterson said. “He was so enthusiastic and it got everyone in the class excited. I don’t think I could ever be that good. He was such an expert.”

“We’re very proud of Eric. He’s done very well,” agreed Kathryn Lee, Newhouse adjunct professor and assistant to the dean, after a test ride on the Segway.

Fleming got involved with Segway based on a mock media kit he created for the company in professor Dixie Evatt’s PRL 215 class inn March. He took it with him on a trip to Florida to volunteer at the FIRST Robotics Competition at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT center in April. He had been involved with FIRST, a group that inspires students to get involved with science and technology according to its Web site, during all four years of high school. At the national competition, he showed his kit to Segway’s director of marketing and flew home with an internship at the company.

That internship sent him to Chicago, Orlando and Farnborough, England, representing Segway to the press. His familiarity with the product and with the company’s vision helped him bring the machine to SU.

Since picking it up two Fridays ago from New Hampshire, Fleming has taken the transporter with him to MBA and public relations courses.

“Usually in Syracuse, people are looking down avoiding the wind, now they’re looking at me and smiling,” Fleming said.

The reaction of the campus community has been mostly favorable, he said. But the brand recognition around campus impressed him the most.

“I was walking outside Kimmel and some people ran across the street shouting, ‘We don’t want to go to class, we want to spend the day talking about Segway,’” Fleming said. “I think I’m starting to get recognized on campus.”

That recognition may come to an end though. Today, he must drive back to New Hampshire and return the futuristic device.

“I think I’ll miss it,” he said with a smile.