Yes, the Segway S-Pod looks like the humanoid future floating chairs of Wall-E. Well, that’s out of reach.
The Segway S-Pod is a car designed for the smart cities of the future when cars are less common, but people still have to travel comfortably. The capsule itself is suspended between the two wheels, giving the entire chair a pleasant feel when you sit on its suede seat. Controlled by a flat, round joystick on the right armrest: push it in the direction you want to travel and release the brake. Keeping the joystick in one direction all the way makes the chair spin (whey!).
Segway appeared in S-Pod at CES and took it on a short track, helmet, and all-round ride. It was smooth – the joystick is sensitive and the capsule doesn’t take long to move, but once in contact with the right amount of pressure it moves like butter and turns easily. The chair slows down to itself when it turns.
The CES model is set at 7 mph, but the final version will reach 24 mph. It would cover 43 miles in one go, and it would only take 2 hours to fully charge. S-Pod is slated to launch commercially at the end of the year, with consumer versions releasing soon. No word on pricing yet.
