Bedford, NHIf you haven't already taken your Segway Personal Transporter in for software upgrades you should do so right away.
In September, Segway announced a voluntary recall of all of its Personal Transporters (also known as Human Transporters) due to a software glitch that resulted in riders of the Segway PT falling off the device and possibly injuring themselves.
The glitch occurs when the Segway PT reaches its top speeds. When the rider leans too far forward, the device pushes back to prevent traveling at high speeds. If the rider steps off the PT and then back on too quickly, the wheels of the PT reverse direction suddenly, causing riders to fall off.
The recall affects all Segway PT il67, i170 and il80 models, p133, XT, GT, and i2 models, and all e167 models. These models were sold to both consumers and commercial customers.
The Segway PT is a two-wheeled personal transportation device that runs off of battery power. The driver of the device stands on a platform and moves the device forward by leaning forward. Brakes are applied by leaning backward, and directions are changed by twisting handles. With top speeds of around 13 miles per hour, the Segway also can be ridden all day on a small amount of electricity.
The Segway Personal Transporter was marketed with a lot of media hype as a device that was going to change society. The inventor, Dean Kamen, was quoted in the Time Magazine, Dec 2, 2001 issue, as saying that the Segway "will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy." The company was prepared to sell up to 40,000 PTs a month by the end of 2002.
In fact, Segway sold 23,500 units from the time they reached the market in 2002 until the recall was announced in September. All units sold are affected by the recall.
The recall was announced after Segway received reports of injuries stemming from the software glitch. So far, reports of injuries have included the heads and wrists of Segway users.
If you have a Segway Personal Transporter and have not taken it in for software upgrades stop using it immediately and take it in for the upgrades. If you have been injured as a result of the software glitch contact a lawyer to discuss your options.