Segway made a name for itself with self-balancing, two-wheeled scooters that could quickly get pedestrians around town with a minimal footprint. Despite the hype leading up its launch, it did not, as it turned out, “change the way we think of cities”. It did, however, change the way we think of mall cops – but the Segway’s success in the private security sector spawned a raft of 3 wheeled imitators that lacked the Segway’s high price, small footprint, and self-balancing style.
Now, the company is ready to fight back with the all-new electric Police Patroller …
… which looks exactly like the low-budget Segway imitators that it’s supposed to be competing against, then? What happened here?
Without coming out and saying that those 3 wheeled imitators had a better idea, Segway did say that its new “SE-3″ Patroller runs on multiple li-ion battery packs. Those can be charged from a standard, 110 outlet or “hot-swapped” for continuous operation. In addition, the Patroller features independent rear wheel motors, disc brakes, Whelen emergency lights and sirens, and an LED headlight. Data relating to the operation of the vehicle, such as speed and remaining battery life, can be viewed on a high-contrast, 4.3″ display. The Patroller also includes a number of officer safety features such as anti-rollover technology and Rider Detect, which disables the motors if a rider is not on the vehicle.
Unfortunately, the zero-style, $12,000 (yes, that says twelve thousand dollars) Segway Patroller will not feature technology that blurs out the police officer’s face while riding the thing, ensuring maximum embarrassment for the boys in blue.
Source | Images: Segway, via Gizmag.
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