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quote:Originally posted by Lawrence
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quote:Spliff has it right. There are a lot of older people out there who could benefit from the increased mobility but don't want to sit in a 'wheel-chair' like device. The stigma keeps them from using one. Older people are the growing demographic with the most money.
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Ziggy, who has ridden it made a good argument on TIQ that the elderly might not have the agility and reflexes to be able to handle a Segway. But then if Kamen & co. believe that people with parkinsons might be able to use them, he must have special versions in mind that might be even easier to use then the models we have seen so far.
Bricklin, who has also ridden it and seems to have done his homework thinks that that this group will be a primary target group:
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quote:This will be a very big hit with the 45 and over crowd. If somebody bumps into Grandpa with it, it will be Grandma, and she votes. For younger people, the Segway opens up new areas that are now within "walking distance", for older people it restores old areas that are missed. People with all sorts of disabilities (MS, Parkinson's, knee injuries, etc.) are begging the Segway company for units. They know it will change their lives, restoring some normalcy.
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http://www.bricklin.com/segwayride2.htm
I think it is still a little early to speculate as to who will be the largest users of Segways. It depends on what models will be introduced in the years ahead.
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The software of a Segway that would accomodate people with motor-ability-affecting diseases such as parkinson's would have to be altered. In the present version, the unconscious movements (tremors, etc.) of the person could and will be translated by the gyroscopes as the intent to move forward and/or backwards when the person really just wants to stay still. That could have dire consequences. For the elderly, they still need to have the same reflexes and reaction time of their younger counterparts into order to use these safely 'as intended'. Additionally the elderly would have to be able to easily step up and down 8" and stand for the extended periods of time necessary to get where they are going. and be able to turn the hand grip effectively for movement as well as obstacle avoidance. not great for arthritic people.
So modifications would certainly have to be made to the current design in order to accomodate these, and other, groups of people. which would, btw, add to it's cost since Segway would have to add, not remove, functionality.
The Zigman