October 11, 2008

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Student brings new, high-tech transport to UTSA

(Oct. 9, 2003)--UTSA biology major Kayla Gibbs can't go anywhere without someone trying to bum a ride. It's really becoming a pain -- never able to travel the sidewalks in peace. Wait a second. Sidewalks?

Yes, and it's not her white Volkswagen van she's being asked to share. People stop and ask Gibbs for a ride on her Segway HT.

Part of Gibbs is weary of being asked for rides on the Segway she's had since November, but another part of the UTSA student welcomes the attention of people who are truly interested in the Segway technology and is excited people are so, well, excited about Segway.

Pictured (top photo) is Gibbs riding her Segway and (lower photo) demonstrating the unusual key used to start the vehicle.

"(The Segway) could just change so much," gushed Gibbs. "... Commuting, I think especially in larger cities like New York where people walk. People really don't walk here in San Antonio -- you're looked at funny if you're walking on the side of the road. But, in cities like in the Northeast or even in California… you don't have to get in your car to go a mile."

Her unusual method of transportation was created by inventor Dean Kamen, who became well known for a series of important medical inventions -- the first drug-infusion pump, the first portable insulin pump, the first portable dialysis machine and a variety of heart stents.

Then, Kamen unveiled what, at the time, was his best-known project: the IBOT wheelchair. A six-wheel machine capable of going up and down curbs, through sand or gravel and even up stairs, the IBOT planted the seed for Segway.

"We realized we could build a device using very similar technology that could impact how everybody gets around," said Kamen in a 2001 Time magazine interview. Kamen and his staff went to work on Segway, calling the prototype "Ginger."

Capable of traveling up to 12.5 miles per hour and sensitive to a rider's every move, the Segway boasts gyroscopes and tilt sensors that monitor a rider's center of gravity approximately 100 times per second. When the rider leans forward, the Segway goes forward. When the rider leans back, the Segway reverses. When the rider is ready to stop, the Segway stops. The gyroscopes and sensors seem to give the Segway a direct connection to its rider's brain.

The battery-powered machine even kicks in added safety measures with handles that shake if the rider tries to go too fast or if the battery is low. Sensors on the front bumper stop the Segway if it encounters an obstacle, such as a human. If those warnings aren't enough… "There's a little face on the display and whenever something's wrong it frowns at you and flashes," explained Gibbs. Yes, apparently Segway also scolds unsafe riders.

Although Gibbs enjoys the convenience of cutting the 40-minute walk from her apartment to school down to seven minutes aboard the Segway, the bottom line is still the possible social and environmental impact of the machine.

"(Just think about) all those little errands," said Gibbs. "The amount of gas you use, translated into the amount of pollution -- it could be a whole chain of effects. It could just totally revolutionize so much."

The Segway revolution may not be as close as Gibbs would like, as she freely admits the Segway is still a bit too expensive at $4,500 per machine.

Even the pricing obstacle has a solution, according to Gibbs. "If more people could buy them, the price would come down," she said, adding that she thinks Kamen isn't about making money, but more concerned with contributing to society.

Currently, Kamen has sold about 5,000 Segways, and the machines can be ordered from Amazon.com or Segway.com. Gibbs hopes the number will increase soon, then maybe she can roll down sidewalks without worrying about hitchhikers.

-- Leigh Anne Gullett