Some commentators are referring to the swegway as the future of personal mobility devices and are hoping that, with further lobbying, some easement of the strict restrictions in place may be granted.Īble to move at speeds of approximately 8-10mph (although some boards do travel faster), swegways are fun to use and can offer 4-5 hours of riding time per single charge. In the UK, for instance, they may only be used on private land with the landowners permission and strict fines can be enforced if they are used on either public pavements or highways. The main reported problems seem to be associated with defective lithium-ion batteries and faulty wiring, both of which have been reported to cause the swegway to overheat and even catch fire.ĭespite the inevitability of cheap reproductions being mass-produced without adequate safety specifications being adhered to there are now many swegways available that are safe to use although their use is strictly controlled in most public areas. In the rush to be the first to market there are concerns over a number of products which are exported from China which do not meet the strict safety regulations of the EU or US. Features vary by manufacturer as does safety compliance as well as price. Whilst litigation suits abound in the states, Chinese manufacturers have been swift to bring various designs of the swegway to market.ĭriven by popular consumer demand, there is a dizzying array of models available and all produced to different quality and design standards. The company, Segway Inc, claims to hold the patent designs and was able to successfully secure injunctions for production against several companies. Projects registered with crowd funding sites like Kickstarter show that one development of the concept occurred in 2013 though it seems to have first been unveiled in the guise of the “Smart S1” at the 2014 Canton Fair trade exhibition. As an original patent concept, the idea for an “electrically powered two wheeled scooter for terrestrial human transportation” was registered with the US Patent Office in 1999 and renewed in 2009 by Patmont Motor Werks.
The invention of the swegway is disputed with various patent rights being registered and several entrepreneurs claiming to have conceived the idea.
Similar in design to a Segway but without the central steering column, swegways soared in popularity in the summer of 2015 when celebrity A-lister’s like Jamie Foxx, Soulja Boy and Justin Bieber were all snapped riding one.ĭespite the high-profile showcasing by big name stars it was the YouTube generation that seems to have started the mainstream popularity with the highly popular internet gamers, ‘The Ultimate Sidemen’ frequently using a swegway in their videos. But there’s a new kid on the block the swegway.Īlso known as a ‘hoverboard’, solowheel, mini-Segway or Segway board, the swegway is a self-balancing, rechargeable wheeled board which is controlled by pressure sensitive, gyroscopic pads beneath the rider’s feet. Whether you have had the opportunity to try one out for yourself or not you’ve probably seen a Segway before Kraftwerk are famous for performing on them, US mall cops aren’t seen without them and barely a capital city in Europe doesn’t have a ubiquitous Segway tour.
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