Have Luggage Will Travel
Yesterday walking down 43rd Street in New York City what appeared before me was amazing. Not only was it one of the new scooter boards but she was taking her luggage with her – perfect for traveling sisters.
I had to find out more. The specifications vary depending on whom you ask so these are approximant. They use lithium batteries and the board’s basic concept is like a Segway. Batteries last around 10 to 12 miles. One down side is they weigh 27 pounds; hopefully you don’t have to carry it very often. Approximant dimensions 23 x 7 ½ x 7 inches.
They can go between 6 to 10 miles an hour; an average person walks 3 miles per hour. Would you like to get there twice as fast as walking? Without any or very little effort?
The boards work best on smooth surfaces. As I was watching when she got to the corner, the corner is all brick (not like the smooth surface of the sidewalk), she did have to go back and forth a couple of times before she continued forward. Amazing feat since she also had to keep her luggage going too. Overall it looked pretty easy.
In researching this product I found it has many names and/or descriptions like:
- Two wheeled electric scooter Segway boards
- Self balance scooter
- Two wheel self-balancing electric scooter
- Smart electric skateboard
- Personal transporter
- Two wheels smart self balancing scooters
- Electric drifting board
- Personal adult transporter
- Mini smart self-balancing two wheel electric scooter
There are many new models coming out that include new features like a head phone plug so you can listen to music and LED lights. They range in price from $299 to $1,800.
Just in the last two weeks I have seen several around NYC. Hopefully they will not be outlawed like the full Segway. Not sure if the boards can share a crowded sidewalk, because they can go much faster then people walk. Wonder if they could ride them more like a bike, in a bike lane? Something to look into.
Now when I rode a Segway, it was pretty easy and I loved it! It was hard to go back to walking afterwards. The trick is to not think about it too much and let your feet do the driving. Getting on and off can be a little challenging because of the physics of how a Segway works. But we got use to it quickly and yes I would love to try one of these boards.
