Segway’s new electric skates leverage gyroscope tech for a self-balancing ride

In a world filled with all kinds of new electric transportation devices like hoverboards, eBikes, and longboards, well-renowned company Segway announced today that it will be adding e-Skates to its lineup. While a release date and pricing details have not been announced at this time, the company has shared a marketing video that shows what the e-Skates will look like and gives feel for how they will work.

Segway products have been available for over 15 years now with the initial release of the Segway PT in 2001. At the time of its release, it was quite innovative and futuristic, but was out of most people’s budget with a $5,000 price tag.

At that price, its market was limited to customers with plenty of money that were willing to accept that they would look strange riding them in public. Even with backing from Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs, they never quite became mainstream.

Steve Jobs predicted that the Segway PT would have a drastic effect on the world with cities being redesigned specifically for the product. While this has not quite happened yet, one could argue that is well on its way with electric transportation devices gaining popularity over the past few years.

The company states the newly announced Drift W1 e-Skates are part of a new category, indicating that they may already be planning additional models. Segway provided a short video along with the announcement that will help potential customers get an idea for how the skates look and perform.

From the looks of the video, I cannot help but feel sorry for the models showcasing the new technology. They appear to be quite uncomfortable, but this could be simply because they did not have an adequate amount of time to practice. I know it took me a few attempts to become comfortable riding a hoverboard for the first time.

With the recent interest in electric scooters and similar devices, this could be a perfect time for Segway to add a new e-Skate category to its product lineup. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced, but the company stated in its press release that it will hold a press conference in Los Angeles on July 24th.

All-in-all, the new e-Skates do look quite futuristic and I would definitely give them a try. I am sure that I would fall a few times, but if they feel anything like the electric scooters, bikes, and longboards that have been flooding the market, it would certainly be worth it.

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