Segway Company Owner Dies After Driving Segway Off Cliff

The current owner of Segway—not Dean Kamen—died yesterday after he rode off a cliff and into a river in England.

Jimi Heselden, aged 62, was found at 11.40am yesterday by the River Wharfe in North Yorkshire, with his X2 Adventure (pictured) by his side. Police believe that it was just a freak accident, with nothing suspicious about the man worth $262m falling to his death.

It's particularly poignant as his company had only just purchased the Segway company in December 2009. He sounded like a really nice guy according to reports, a chap who left school at 15 to work in the mines, but was fortunate enough to develop some interesting-sounding defense systems which made him millions.

He was one of those rare philanthropists who had given away millions to charity but didn't like to talk about it—at least £23m ($36m) in the last few years alone, it's thought. [The Independent and The Daily Mail], Via: Gizmodo.

Image Credit: Scottslone

Tracked Skateboard/ Segway

(Video Link)
The Shredder is a new military vehicle by a start-up company called DTV. It’s an individual transportation device that can go up to 30 MPH and haul 1,200 lbs. The machine is powered by a 200cc four-stroke engine and can tackle slopes up to 40 degrees.

Link (warning: self-starting audio), Via: Glenn Reynolds, Via: Neatorama

Sabersegging

Finally, someone has put lightsabers and Segways together (and documented it on film; I feel pretty confident that someone somewhere has put these two items together before.) The Segway teacher alone is reason to watch this. LINK, Via: From Vice

A Wicked Ride: Segway and GM's P.U.M.A.

P.U.M.A. stands for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility vehicle. It's a two-wheeled vehicle that balances on gyroscopes and is powered by rechargeable batteries. Top speed is 35 miles per hour or three times as fast as a Segway scooter. The PUMA will cost 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of a traditional vehicle and a three hour charge will cost only 35 cents. A single charge will take you 35 miles. It's intended for city dwellers and was developed by G.M. and Segway. LINK



LINK: Youtube