Dean Kamen wrestles with decision: should he quit the Segway?

It's something that any hard-nosed entrepreneur likely deals with when their invention / startup is on the edge of fail: should they simply throw in the towel, or forge ahead like no one's looking? The father of the Segway, Dean Kamen, is also wrestling with that question. In a recent interview, he stated: "You end up lying there saying, 'I'm not stopping. It would be an act of shallow cowardice. Or you decide to quit and you say, 'This is one of those ideas that just isn't going to work.' " He also noted that "it's not nearly as glamorous as people think to keep working on something and to keep hitting roadblocks and to keep going." On one hand, we could definitely see the rug being pulled from the two-wheeled transporter that never revolutionized public movement, but considering all the days in which it has lifted our spirits, do we really want it to?

[Image courtesy of SimplyMoving]

[mailbox01 @ Jan 12th 2009 5:58PM]

Then what is the Woz going to use?

[joe_bruin @ Jan 12th 2009 6:24PM]

I was expecting to buy a Segway for my parents when they start having difficulty walking. I hope these things are still available when I need to get one.

[coffee @ Jan 12th 2009 6:46PM]

Kamen's interview wasn't about quitting the Segway, it was about being an entrepeneur and knowing when it was time to quit an idea, as a generality.

RTFA again, Murph.

[Dave @ Jan 12th 2009 6:54PM]

To me mobility for those that don't have it comes to mind as well. I think of the guy (he was in his 20's or 30's) at the baseball game who didn't have any legs. A specially modified Segway served as his legs. He would have certainly been confined to a wheelchair without his Segway. Then there was the young man I met who had multiple sclerosis who used his Segway to get around. Sure, he had his good days when he wouldn't need his Segway to get around. On the bad days however the Segway was huge. Seeing the Segway used for these types of applications it's hard to imagine the Segway would just go away. I would think that production on some level would be maintained by Kamen or another outfit that would buy him out. At the same time however I could also see the prices creep up as the diseconomies of scale come into play.

[Taylor. Yes, Taylor. @ Jan 12th 2009 6:58PM]

Woz would probably buy the rights and somehow make it profitable, that man LOVES his segways!
-Taylor

[nbj @ Jan 12th 2009 7:36PM]

talk about misunderstanding an interview. sheesh. you can sink a stock with an mis-reported article like this. hey engadget, how about a sickly steve jobs article next?

[Rocketboy @ Jan 12th 2009 7:54PM]

Seeing how the Segway, you know the same IT that people were going to design cities around, has not been a smashing hit, well, Kamen might have not come out and said it, but really, this has got to be what he's thinking about the Segway.

[Arkenklo @ Jan 12th 2009 5:58PM]

Who gives a damn?

[randy @ Jan 12th 2009 6:04PM]

Um, shouldn't you be on a bridge somewhere?

[Arkenklo @ Jan 12th 2009 6:12PM]

@ iEye (I know it's you!)
I see what you did thar!


And it's not funny.

[STINK @ Jan 12th 2009 6:15PM]

call it the iSegway and iEye would buy a dozen of them

[finnith @ Jan 12th 2009 6:19PM]

Either it's not iEye or he's sunk down to replying to his own posts because I've seen him post and iEye reply.

[Knee to the Groin @ Jan 12th 2009 10:18PM]

Speaking of Segway, nice weather today huh?

[Arkenklo @ Jan 13th 2009 6:41AM]

No, I'm not a troll (well, I'm not iEye!), and no, I don't give a shit about this.

[ZombieRace @ Jan 12th 2009 5:59PM]

Segways are pretty cool, all things considered.

The problem is that everyone realized walking was still cheaper.

[Andy Anonymous @ Jan 12th 2009 8:42PM]

Absolutely. I believe the Segway would have seen a lot more use if it just weren't so expensive.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jan 12th 2009 10:50PM]

Segways are cool but not desirable when you can get a motorcycle or used car for the same price. Mr. Kamen would sell tens of thousands more per year if the MSRP were under a grand.

[Shinigami @ Jan 13th 2009 1:22AM]

I guess he thought segways will make you buy them the moment they were released no matter what the price is.
Life's tough...

[Ed T @ Jan 13th 2009 12:11PM]

"Walking is cheaper"

Yes, and a bicycle or moped are more practical. Segway is a great solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I hope his new water purification machine does better.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jan 13th 2009 3:31PM]

Segways they really are perfect for Washington D.C. you'll sell these things everywhere and if you have ever spent time there, you'll certainly understand why.

[PowerCell @ Jan 12th 2009 5:59PM]

He needs to farm out production to Asia and get a consumer version out that's $599...

[loocas @ Jan 12th 2009 6:59PM]

Which will be able to carry one person to 50Kg for about 2 minutes down the hill before it breaks along with the rider's legs, spine and skull.

China Quality certified...

[lanejasper69 @ Jan 12th 2009 9:20PM]

And by all means, DO NOT forget to put the Lead in the paint!!!! And plenty of Melanine in the food "to go please"

Screw China, no standards or environmental care at all!!

[Trevor @ Jan 13th 2009 12:06AM]

Will it be made of pig shit and mercury?

[BigD145 @ Jan 13th 2009 2:15AM]

The US has the same quality shit China does. We buy more of their crap than they buy from us, after all.

[Like_A_Glove @ Jan 13th 2009 3:03AM]

@loocas

And if it really breaks that fast, it won't sell then, and Chinese people don't want that. They are the world's most skillful manufacturers, their skills mostly are not for quality but for it's notorious ability to strip down resources & materials yet still make the final product usable, well, kind of. It won't break down right away, that's for sure.

@lanejasper69

This is too extreme, it's like laughing at your younger brother because he is shorter than you.
Decades ago, Americans made toxic food much much more that Chinese did today, and a lot of Americans died because of that.
And by the way, it's MELAMINE.

[loocas @ Jan 13th 2009 11:50AM]

@ Like_A_Glove:

Oh, good, now I'm much more confident...

[gotsmart @ Jan 12th 2009 5:59PM]

I think the answer is simple:

Build the Segway Centaur.

[Taylor. Yes, Taylor. @ Jan 12th 2009 7:00PM]

That would freaking rock!
-Taylor

[Christian Walters @ Jan 12th 2009 8:30PM]

Taylor, you are a tool for still putting a signature under a comment on here.
To: Taylor, Yes Taylor

-Taylor

[John @ Jan 13th 2009 2:15AM]

I too do not like people signing their comments when their name is shown clearly anyway.

-Taylor

[Josh @ Jan 12th 2009 5:59PM]

Honestly I always secretly wanted one of these, I just could never sink that kinda money into this type of thing.

[StickMaker @ Jan 12th 2009 6:33PM]

Exactly my feelings!

[Denver_80203 @ Jan 12th 2009 8:56PM]

I always wanted one but, I'm too embarrassed to be seen on it.

[kjb434 @ Jan 12th 2009 6:01PM]

Just use a bike or a car! Or for god sakes use your own two legs.

[loocas @ Jan 12th 2009 7:00PM]

That is so low-tech!

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Jan 13th 2009 4:37AM]

Not all of us have the use of both legs I wanted a segway instead of a big ass wheelchair, not only can you stand on it but you can get a custom seat for it also. the perfect wheelchair.

[John @ Jan 12th 2009 6:02PM]

Hilarious. This guy cons malls and college campuses into spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on these things, and then pulls the plug? Great idea, buddy; can't wait to see how many people put faith into your next invention.

[giuliop @ Jan 12th 2009 7:55PM]

Of course; he should keep on until he's broke, then he should beg for food with one hand whilst making new Segways and repairing broken ones with the other, until the very last ounce of life is gone. Then I'm sure most people will have a lifelong faith in his next lif... uh, project.

[GreezyG @ Jan 12th 2009 6:03PM]

If I was one of those people that lived and worked and shopped and drank and went out downtown (Austin) then I would have a segway. As it is, I work 17 miles from work. A mile from my gym, 2 miles from the grocery store, 1.5 miles from the nearest gas station.... I just have no use for it.

[randy @ Jan 12th 2009 6:03PM]

Oh... I don't know, maybe Dean Kamen could....

LOWER THE DAMN PRICE!!


It's been 8 years already. Why does this plastic scooter still cost more than $1,000?

[BigBirdUK @ Jan 12th 2009 6:03PM]

I bet the gyro's are working over-time to compensate for his pen collection!

[JackBurton @ Jan 12th 2009 6:10PM]

I own one, an i167. If they were $1500 new, I would have four of them, but at $4900 It's just never going to get the momentum needed from the masses to be a pervasive as Mr. Kamen envisioned.

[randy @ Jan 12th 2009 6:09PM]

It may have been ahead of its time on Dec. 2, 2001, but it's not ahead of its time now. DSPs and FPGAs are now cheap and are commonly-used for motor and motion control now. And Lithium ion battery pack prices have also dropped dramatically.

Sorry folks, this product is not ahead of its time. It's just simply WAY overpiced. Not unlike other vehicles these days, actually, whose makers are also experiencing anxiety.

[required @ Jan 12th 2009 6:11PM]

If doing so makes the segway affordable (aka cost a lot less) then I say by all means

[Cy Starkman @ Jan 12th 2009 6:13PM]

I poured over the patents. I talked it up. I hoped for a local distributor. I wondered if the laws would shift to allow it. I saw the price and said one day. I joined the newsletter. Each one waiting for one of the cool designs in the patent. Wondering if the price would drop.

...I stopped reading the newsletter. I gave up on a price drop. I looked in at the web site once a year. I realized he never stood a chance, too small. If you are not already a giant multi national forget it and get a job.

Ideas had become a privelege not a right.

[STINK @ Jan 12th 2009 6:13PM]

Lower. The. Price.

Problem solved.

[gadjitfreek @ Jan 12th 2009 6:13PM]

At the extreme prices that are still being asked for this, it's no wonder no one wants to buy them. Apart from Mr. Kamen himself and Adam Savage from Mythbusters, I've never seen anyone on these things.

[sjdurfey @ Jan 12th 2009 6:33PM]

Dont forget Gob from Arrested Developement!

If you have never seen the show, so yourself a favor and watch it. It is absolutely hysterical. Leave it to the Fox execs to not be able to keep a great show.

[nimbo @ Jan 12th 2009 6:14PM]

If only Darren Murph (OP) had read the article he would have understood that Kamen was speaking in generalizations about being an entrepreneur and did not mention the Segway specifically.