Saturday, July 5, 2008

Segway racer

I expect to see Ed McMahon peddling these to retired folks-- he could use the money too.

Nope, a quick Google will show that police departments are going for Segways big time. The latest being a Chinese SWAT team, though Counter-terrorist police exercise on Segways is an unfortunate headline.

Wouldn't that have looked neat in the July 4 parade? Maybe someday, all it would take is a grant through the Criminal Justice Planning Agency. I'm not pressing, I like Saipan's bicycle patrols.

Here's another example. That guy looks like he could use a bicycle. I love the humiliation factor: having to tell your cellmate 'some cop on a Segway ran me down'.

Running Scared

To save you the trouble, I went off on an internet tangent and found that most people could probably manage 15 miles per hour, theoretically outrunning the 12.5 mph Segway. An adrenaline push might add a little more speed. That's full-tilt, and obviously our batteries will run down before the Segway's.

6 comments:

bigsoxfan said...

Why am I not surprised to find these pictures here? I'm wondering about the recoil effects on a Segway. Sure looks silly at any rate. If I was being attacked by that bunch, I'd be a dead man. MAN SHOT WHILE DOUBLED UP WITH LAUGHTER. Assuming that is they all didn't fall over backwards with the first round.

Bruce A. Bateman said...

I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona back in the 70's. A fellow named Bricklin manufactured a car by the same name in modest quantities there. Fast, sleek, nice.

He donated 10 to the Scottsdale Police who used them for a short time and sold them (or maybe gave them back, I don't remember the divesting details). Why did they look this gift horse in the mouth? The gull wing doors took 15 seconds to open electrically. By the time the cop got out of the car the perpetrator was long gone.

Looks like the segway is a better mousetrap, beats (argg) walking.

KAP said...

I immediately wondered what the Keystone Cops could have done with these. Or Jackie Chan: Google tells me he probably sold these to the Chinese. Funny that the company won't let him assemble them in China.

KAP said...

Please note there's "a camouflage-colored military version". The mind boggles.

Lil' Hammerhead said...

There is also a "beefier" all-terrain version.. although "all-terrain" may be a stretch. I'd hate to get to close to a drop on one of these things.

KAP said...

There's a u-tube by a dealer in the Southwest I almost included, complete with don't-try-this-at-home warning. The pros were going over 18 inch curbs and making small jumps. Perfect conditions, of course.