New Segway Patroller gives mall cops a third wheel
When you think of a Segway, usually a self-balancing, slightly dorky two-wheeled contraption comes to mind, right? Well, forget all that. The company has just committed heresy by launching the SE-3 Patroller, a three-wheeled, front-steering model. It's targeted exclusively at law-enforcement officers, meter enforcement types and, ahem, security personnel -- which make up the company's most lucrative market by far. It's highly visible in order to deter crime with headlights, brake lights, sirens, emergency lights and a rather non-functional-looking (but adorable) visor. It also packs rider detection to shut the vehicle off when not occupied and a 4.3-inch data screen. All of that comes in at $12,000 for a vehicle you can't even sit down on -- unlike arch-competitor T3 Motion's model. Still, there's very little chance cops'll tip the thing over, a common Segway blunder that doesn't exactly shock and awe the bad guys.