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Lyft will add Segway scooters with swappable batteries 'soon'
Lyft is teaming up with Segway-Ninebot as it updates its shared scooter fleet, TechCrunch reports. Lyft's scooter service first launched last September in Denver and it now spans nine US cities. And though it first deployed Xiaomi-built scooters, the China-based company later sent Lyft a cease-and-desist letter, saying in October that it didn't "condone Lyft's unauthorized modification or retrofitting" or its electric scooters. With Segway-Ninebot as an official partner, however, Lyft can hopefully avoid that kind of conflict going forward.
Segway is getting into autonomous deliveries
Most people are probably never going to own a Segway, but the company is aiming to have more people interact with its products. At CES 2019, Segway-Ninebot will debut its first ever autonomous delivery robot designed to perform the final leg like of transporting packages. It's also showing off the Model Max, its next generation of shared scooter designed to get people around the city (or be ditched on the sidewalk).
Now Segway and Lime are sorting out blame for scooter battery issues
With electric scooters popping up in cities around the globe, people are wondering -- for many reasons -- if they're actually safe. Earlier this week Lime announced it had recalled Segway Ninebot scooters it operates, and restricted charging to only its own facilities because of a "potential issue" in "early versions of the scooter that could cause a fire risk. The only problem is that Segway released its own statement on Friday, suggesting that failure to properly monitor scooters for damage and properly maintain them could be the issue. Segway VP of global business development Tony Ho told the Washington Post that "We actually went to all of our shared scooter partners, and so far we've found that only the Lime operation has had fire incidents." In a statement (PDF), said that 80 percent of "shared scooters" in use came from one of its three Ninebot factories and suggested its own explanation for the discrepancy: " Considering the fact that the management and maintenance of shared scooters and the identification of damaged vehicles highly rely on the operators, we strongly recommend that operators strengthen their capability of fleet operation and maintenance to avoid potential safety problems caused by the improper use of damaged vehicles." Now the companies have said they're working "closely" to answer questions about any malfunctioning batteries.
Segway Ninebot fire risk caused a Lime recall and new charging policy
Lime revealed that in August it removed a number of Segway Ninebot scooters from its fleet of rentals following the discovery of a manufacturing defect that could cause batteries to catch fire. Now, after what it calls an "unconfirmed report" that another model may be similarly vulnerable, all Ninebot scooters are being charged at Lime facilities while it investigates.
Segway's Drift e-skates aren't nearly as dangerous as they look
Disgraceful name appropriation aside, hoverboards have blessed us with many an exploitative YouTube compilation. And given the number of bruised coccyxes hoverboards are responsible for, you'd think splitting them into two separate pieces would make for double the danger. Nevertheless, e-skates exist, and what better company to take them mainstream than Segway? The quirky transportation company is due to ship its Drift W1s any day now, and IFA attendees were invited to try them out on a little roller rink Segway had built on the show floor in Berlin. Much to my relief, they are far from the deathtrap they appear, and while they probably won't be suitable for your daily commute, they're a lot of fun all the same.
Former Tesla engineering lead Doug Field is back with Apple
Tesla confirmed in July that instead of returning from a six-week break, senior engineering VP Doug Field had departed the company. The timing was interesting as it came during Tesla's push to ramp up production of the Model 3 sedan, which was the kind of issue we'd expected Field to address after he joined in 2013. Whatever the reasons for his split from Tesla, Daring Fireball writer John Gruber has confirmed with Apple PR that Field is back with the company he left five years ago. Going a step further, Gruber said that he has heard from sources that instead of returning to Mac engineering, Field is working on Apple's rebooted Project Titan vehicle team -- a move that could suggest it has bigger plans than just an add-on self-driving car kit. Normally, we'd be on alert for a snarky tweet or two from Elon Musk about the shift (three years ago he told a German paper "If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple" before apologizing) but he might be distracted by the SEC at the moment.
Segway's new e-skates are probably a terrible idea
Today, Segway announced a new product, and wow is it a treat. The Segway Drift W1 is a pair of e-skates using the balancing technology the company is well-known for. The skates promise to bring all the "coolness" that you can expect from the Segway line, which quite frankly isn't saying much.
Segway's Loomo is the robotic hoverboard nobody asked for
Hoverboards are ridiculous. They serve no purpose other than signaling that your laziness is only outpaced by your willingness to spend disposable income on fad gadgets. But if you insist on being piggybacked atop a rolling pedestal like a discount Paul Blart, you do you. Just know that it might as well be on one that also transforms into a robotic sidekick and carries your bags for you.
Turing's Segway-based patrol robot can give humans a ride
Security robots typically have to operate by themselves, which can be a problem when intruders get pushy. Turing Video has a simple answer to this, however: give human security officers a lift. It just premiered a security robot, Nimbo, whose Segway-based design includes a unique "Ride-On Mode" that lets a passenger hop on and travel at up to 11MPH. The bot is designed to autonomously patrol areas and deliver audiovisual warnings if it catches a trespasser with its computer vision (based on tech like Intel RealSense), but this helps its organic counterparts respond to alerts or supplement the machine's own coverage.
Segway's electric scooter offers a ride from your car to your desk
A year ago, CityGo Urban raised over $300,000 for its successful concept: an electric scooter that would zoom commuters to work. Today, it's finally re-emerged in the news -- but as a part of a newly-envisioned "Last Mile" system developed by Segway, which bought CityGo shortly after its Indiegogo campaign ended.
Hackers can take control of your Segway hoverboard
We can list so many reasons why you should never set foot on a hoverboard. Now, we've got yet another: Cybersecurity company IOActive has figured out how to hijack the Segway MiniPro "self-balancing personal transporter" through its Bluetooth connection.
ICYMI: Segway's plan B and flexible concrete
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-2").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Segway came to Intel's Developer's Forum to show a prototype for a self-balancing scooter that is also a robot. If the public SDK works out well, Segway hopes to release a consumer version of whatever it becomes in 2017.
Watch Segway's personal robot in action
What if you could have a personal robot helper that transforms into a self-balancing scooter? That's the appeal of the Segway Robot, an adorable device which first debuted during CES. We were able to take a close look at it this week during Intel's Developer Forum in San Francisco, and while it's clearly a prototype (it doesn't even have an official name yet), it still has plenty of potential. Above, check out our interview with Sarah Zhang, senior director of robotics business operations at Ninebot and Segway, who dives into what makes this little bot so special.
US to ban hoverboard imports following Segway complaint
Feds might seize even more "hoverboards" now that the US International Trade Commission has banned most of them from being imported into the country. The ITC didn't issue the order because they're prone to exploding and catching fire -- it did so because of a patent complaint filed by Segway. Under the general exclusion order, any "personal transporter" that infringes upon Patent No. 8830048 (one of Segway's many, many patents) isn't allowed to enter the US.
The other CES 2016 trend: Put a screen on it
Wearables, 4K and 8K TVs, connected homes, and self-driving cars may be the mainstream themes dictated by multimillion-dollar corporations. But sometimes a concept pervades all corners of CES, from plucky startups to multinationals. This year: Put a screen on it. Adding a screen to something that usually exists without one seemed to pop up again and again. It's not always a bad idea, but it's nearly always an unusual one.
What you missed on day three at CES
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-728192{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-728192, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-728192{width:100%;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-728192").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Day three of CES wasn't quite as crazy as day two, but it was still a massive gadget overload. Never fear, though, because we've once again wrapped up the highlights here with a nice neat bow. Topping the list was Chevy's new all-electric Bolt, an EV that lets you travel more than 200 miles on a charge, then top back up to 80 percent within an hour. More insane but far less likely is Ehang's 184 personal drone that can ferry you up to 10 miles, well above the traffic jams. We also saw the stunning, rollable OLED displays from LG. We don't know why we want one, we just know that we do. To catch up, we've got more details in our gallery and the video above.
A closer look at Intel and Xiaomi's Ninebot Segway Robot
Intel's collaboration with Xiaomi on its new (now modular) Ninebot Segway means at least one very important thing: it now has an adorable roboface. Arguably upstaging Intel's CEO when he rode the Ninebot on stage, it apparently combines the voice recognition and interaction skills of Pepper the robot with something that can take you places without having to move. Perfect. Intel was demoing the robotic role, while we're going to have to venture across Vegas to see someone riding the poor thing. (Most of the robot parts fold away when it needs to be ridden, making it look a lot more like the now headless-looking Ninebot Mini Segway.) Photos by Will Lipman.
Xiaomi brings Segway to the masses with $315 Ninebot mini
We'd be throwing money at our screen right now, if we could. Chinese company Xiaomi has launched a small Segway device, the Ninebot mini, for a mere $315 (£203), on the same day it revealed a $790, 60-inch 4K TV. If you'll recall, Xiaomi is a major investor in Ninebot, the China-based company that recently purchased Segway. This is the first device the companies have launched since the acquisition, and while the self-balancing scooter looks a bit like the original, it costs less than a twentieth the price.
ICYMI: Turbine sunbather, NASA stress test and an aquatic hedge trimmer
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-447825{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-447825, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-447825{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-447825").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It, Usain Bolt may be the "fastest man on Earth" but he can't outrun a cameraman on a Segway. An amatuer drone pilot stumbles across a sunbather 200 feet above the ground. NASA puts its 3D-printed rocket engine pump through a grueling series of tests. The UK showcases its amphibious weedwhacker and some delightfully demented genius has recreated the Pokemon theme song within Grand Theft Auto V. If you come across any interesting videos, we'd love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd. And if you just want to heap praise on your handsome guest host, feel free to hit him up @mr_trout.
Become a mechanical centaur with this wild drill-walker
The best part about the Segway craze is that it's now over. It's time for a ballin' new form of personal transportation like whatever the heck this thing is. Created by fabricator Izzy Swan, this machine is a strange mix of Segway and AT-ST. It uses a cordless 20V drill and homebrew gearbox for propulsion. The leg motion was reportedly inspired by was inspired by Theo Jansen's Strandbeest. What's more, it can reportedly hold up to 370 pounds though, according to Swan, "You should see this thing get down and boogie with just one of the kids on it. It moves pretty quick."
