Segway for Police & Government
Universities & Campus Security
Case study: WPI Is First University in World to Use Segway™ Personal Transporters
WPI Incorporating Segway PTs into Campus Police Patrols and Admissions Tours
Worcester, Mass., December 16, 2002 - Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is the first university in the world to implement use of the Segway™ Personal Transporter (PT) after acquiring three Segway PTs this fall.
WPI's Campus Police Department has already started using two of the Segway PTs to make patrols around WPI's 80-acre main campus easier. Use of the Segway PTs is expected to open relations between officers and students-acting as an icebreaker to spark conversations and make officers more approachable.
The Admissions Department at WPI plans on using its Segway PT for activities like hosting campus tours, open houses, college nights and other special events.
In preparation for using the Segway HTs, five members of WPI's Campus Police Department and six members of the admissions staff (including WPI student guides) successfully completed the Segway PT two-day training at Segway's Bedford, New Hampshire facility last month.
"This is not a test run. We are past that step and are incorporating Segway PTs into regular, everyday activities on campus," says said Edward Alton Parrish, WPI president. "They are extremely practical-making many of our everyday tasks much simpler. They also illustrate to our students (the science and technology leaders of tomorrow) that the unimaginable is possible. As such, we were ecstatic to be the first university to use them in day-to-day operations.
Dr. Parrish has had considerable experience riding the Segway HT-having used it to welcome incoming freshman and their families this past August, as well as greeting visitors at several high school open houses on campus.
Dean Kamen, creator of the Segway PT and chairman of Segway Inc., attended WPI. In addition, the university has long collaborated with Kamen in supporting his non-profit organization FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) by hosting tournaments and having faculty and staff coach numerous teams. FIRST was created by Kamen to inspire in young people, their schools and communities an appreciation of science and technology.
The Segway PT is the world's first self-balancing Personal Transporter that allows people to go anywhere a person can walk. Its advanced technology uses gyroscopes and tilt sensors to emulate human balance. When a person leans slightly forward, the Segway PT moves forward. When leaning back, the Segway PT moves back. Riders can comfortably cruise at six to eight miles per hour on sidewalks and paths, which is about two to three times walking speed. The Segway PT can travel a distance that ranges from 11 to 15 miles on a single charge.
About Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Founded in 1865, WPI is a pioneer in technological higher education. WPI was the first university to understand that students learn best when they have the opportunity to apply the knowledge they gain in the classroom to the solution of important problems. Today its students, working in teams at more than 20 project centers around the globe, put their knowledge and skills to work as they complete professional-level work that can have an immediate positive impact on society.
WPI's innovative, globally focused curriculum has been recognized by leaders in industry, government and academia as the model for the technological education of tomorrow. Students emerge from this program as true technological humanists, well rounded, with the confidence, the interpersonal skills and the commitment to innovation they need to make a real difference in their professional and personal lives.
The university awarded its first advanced degree in 1898. Today, its first-rate research laboratories support master's and Ph.D. programs in more than 30 disciplines in engineering, science and the management of technology. Located in the heart of the region's biotechnology and high-technology sectors, WPI has built research programs-including the largest industry/university alliance in North America-that have won it worldwide recognition.
Media note: To schedule a time to view a Segway PT in action on the WPI campus, contact the WPI Media Relations at (508) 831-5706 and media@wpi.edu.
About Segway
Segway Inc. develops intelligent motion control technology known as Segway® Smart Motion™ that is embedded in the light electric transportation devices it manufactures, such as the well-known Segway® Personal Transporter (PT). Segway Smart Motion provides intelligent motion control that enables a device to monitor its environment, control its motion and make decisions about how it should move.
Segway markets a full line of zero-emissions Segway PTs for sidewalk and cross-terrain use that deliver impressive energy efficiency – equivalent to 450 miles per gallon/191 kilometers per liter of fuel. The company’s line of Segway Robotic Mobility Platforms (RMPs) offers reliable, durable mobility solutions for robotic applications.
Segway Inc., based in Bedford, N.H., U.S.A, has a worldwide distribution network of more than 250 retail points in 61 countries. For additional information about Segway and to find retail locations, please visit www.segway.com or call 1-866-4SEGWAY. Media materials and digital images are available at the Segway Press Center at www.segway.com/about-segway/media-center/.