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One Fan Says Segway Counters His Wobble - Parkinson's Less Of A Problem By MARK MINTON, Staff Writer Wednesday, October 8, 2003 George Russell cued his wife to punch up "Copa Cabana" on the stereo. Russell began to rock and roll, bobbing and swaying with the beat. He even spun a pirouette and extended one leg like a figure skater. Then the 73-year-old stepped off his Segway Human Transporter. "It's a marvelous machine," said Russell, whose Parkinson's disease has left him too wobbly for his usual ballroom dancing. The Segway, which he dances on on a 4-by-8 plywood pad covering his living-room rug, fits his dancing needs just fine. His wife, Laila, prefers to remain on the ground. But Russell, a former adult-education professor who has held posts at Shaw University, N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill, also rides his contraption around his Raleigh neighborhood. He loads it into his Ford Focus for shopping at a local flea market, the bookstore or Crabtree Valley Mall. Segways are the subject of a voluntarily recall because of a glitch that can make the quirky transportation devices go wobbly themselves -- and pitch riders to the ground. After three riders reported falls, the Segway company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of all 6,000 machines the Manchester, N.H., company has sold. The recall drew unwelcome attention to the avant-garde people mover. But Russell is sticking with his. He said he has never fallen off, despite balance problems that Russell likened to the sensation of riding a cruise ship on a choppy sea. The Segway, by contrast, is liable to tip when its battery runs too low to maintain the balance under some conditions, according to the Sept. 26 recall alert. Russell said he keeps his Segway charged, follows the riding instructions -- and is as enthusiastic as he was when he ordered it for $5,000 on the first day it was available. From a Midwest farming family who were "early adopters" of new inventions, Russell was drawn to the Segway mostly by the gee-whiz potential that led some to proclaim it a revolutionary new form of transportation. He was pleased to discover the machine's ability to counter his wobbliness, which he doesn't feel while riding. Segways employ gyroscopes and tilt sensors to balance riders, who stand upright as they whiz along at up to 12 mph. When the battery runs low, Segways warn riders by beeping, flashing a red light and shaking the handlebars. Because of the accidents, however, Segway is installing new software on recalled machines to allow them to make the warnings earlier. The software also adds an emergency shut-off feature, company representative Carla Vallone said Friday. Like other Segway owners, Russell is now waiting for a technician to arrive at his house to install the software. He expects it within 10 days. Meantime, he continues to ride and dance. Staff writer Mark Minton can be reached at 829-4649 or [log in to unmask] SOURCE: Raleigh News, NC http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/2931213p-2690899c.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn