Few technological devices generated as much hype as the original Segway nearly two decades ago. Apple CEO Steve Jobs thought it would be as big of a deal as the PC. Venture capitalist John Doerr said it could be bigger than the Internet itself. Both were wrong.
Known as the Segway Human Transporter, the two-wheeled self-balancing personal transporter felt as if it had been pulled straight of out of a sci-fi novel when it debuted in late 2001. The electric-powered scooter relied on a series of tilt and gyroscopic sensors to maintain its balance as riders zipped along at a top speed of up to 10 mph.
