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Last Update :
November 21 2008
 

As a person with SCI, what is your biggest hurdle surrounding the health care system?
Finding suitable primary care physician
Obtaining appropriate service at hospital
Locating attendant care services
Finding specialized home use equipment
Resources >> Assistive Equipment

Segway Human Transporter
 
segwayThe Segway, personal transportation device you can operate on wheels while standing, is gaining more legal endorsement. The self-balancing, electric-powered transportation device is able to turn in place and designed for one person, with a top speed of 20 km/h.

How it works:

  • The Segway contains five gyroscopes that allow it to balance at a standstill. You ride the Segway by standing upright on the raised platform between two wheels. If you lean forward, the Segway goes forward and, if you lean back, the Segway slows down and stops, and can also go backwards.
  • There are sensors in the platform that detect subtle shifts in weight and respond to them accordingly.
  • On the older models (Human Transporters), rotating the left handgrip steers the Segway. The newer models (Personal Transporters, released in mid-August 2006) are steered by leaning in the direction in which you wish to go.
  • The Segway comes with twin nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or lithium-ion battery packs and can be charged in  about six hours by plugging the vehicle into the wall.
  • Depending on the battery type and path conditions it can run from 13-39 km.

    To date, 42 US States and the District of Columbia have enacted various laws pertaining to their use. A 5-year pilot study which began in October 2006 is underway in Ontario, allowing  some members of the disabled community to use Segways in place of wheelchairs. Use has also been approved in London Ontario for mail carriers and police officers.  In Quebec, the government tested their use on sidewalks, cycling paths and roads in 2005.

    Ontario Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield said the Segway helps create an Ontario ‘that is accessible and inclusive to all.” Discussions are being held about where to permit the vehicles. Persons with disabilities interested in using a Segway should contact their local city councillor or municipal public works department to determine what the by-laws are regarding motor vehicles on sidewalks in their community, before purchasing one of these devices whic sells for $6,000 to $7,000.

    Visit http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/emerging/segway-faq.htm#1 for more details from the Government of Ontario.

     

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