Segway donation provides improved mobility

Kimberly Ovitt, Director of Communication & Institutional Advancement
(480)727-8688 | kimberly.ovitt@asu.edu

Gretchen Dobosz, Public Relations
(480) 727-0788 | gretchen.dobosz@asu.edu

Thanks to a recent donation, faculty and students from the Biodesign Institute at ASU can save time traveling across campus using Segways, those individual human transport devices that mimic natural body mechanics for unusual maneuverability.

A certified Segway safety trainer, left, shows Biodesign Institute student worker Sang Rhee how to operate one of the machines. George Poste, the director of the Biodesign Institute, donated five of the devices for faculty and students to use on the Tempe campus.

The donation of five Segway devices came from the institute's director, George Poste. The institute is located on the eastern edge of the Tempe campus – and, because faculty have joint appointments in other facilities, a great deal of time is spent in cross-campus travel. Many ASU departments combat this problem by using golf carts, but Poste wondered if Segways might offer a more cost-effective and efficient alternative. He was willing to put his own funds behind the purchase to give it a try.

A Segway costs significantly less than a golf cart to purchase, is more cost-efficient to operate, has a smaller profile that is more adaptable to pedestrian-heavy areas, and requires less parking space. The one advantage of golf carts is passenger capacity, so the institute uses a mix of the two modes.

"A key goal of the Biodesign Institute is integration and collaboration across disciplines – not just within our facilities, but across ASU," Poste says. "We're attempting to solve highly complex challenges to improve human health. I did not want relatively simple challenges, such as inconvenience and time constraints, to impede our interaction and innovation."

Poste admits he's a fan of the research of Dean Kaman, the engineer who invented the Segway, and feels his donation is a nod to a true innovator.

"Kaman is a fascinating individual, having developed a number of ingenious medical devices," Poste says. "He also recently introduced a completely novel wheelchair design based on the technology used in the Segway."

A number of faculty and staff have become avid Segway fans, including Stephen Albert Johnston, who directs the institutes Center for Innovations in Medicine.

"I use the Segway daily, Johnston says. I work with colleagues all over campus, and it saves me valuable time. But I also feel it is symbolic of the innovation that drew me to ASU, and that adds to the appeal."

Institute administrators had to be certain that the devices would conform to ASU safety policies for cross-campus transport. Leslie Miller, environmental health and safety officer for the institute, worked with the ASU Police Department and other departments to develop the safety training program.

"Ultimately, the Segways were treated very similarly to golf carts," Miller says. "Any Biodesign team member who wishes to use a Segway for transport must go through training, and they are issued a special certification."

While Segways were designed for indoor and outdoor use, the safety team determined that users should not ride them in the buildings to ensure maximum safety.

"We allow people to walk them into buildings so they can be parked in a secure location," Miller says.