Japanese Police to Segway for Security Patrol

Japan needs to live up to its high-level security and particularly so with the Olympics five years away. Now, the Metropolitan Police Department adopt Segway PT to boost their security capabilities at airports to start with. 

Segway PT is a two-wheeled, battery-powered one-man vehicle. Amazing features of this self-balancing electric vehicle include its mobility totally at the disposal of the rider - it moves to and fro as the rider does by shifting his weight in either direction. It affords a top speed of 20km per hour and, 20cm above the floor level, gives the rider a broader, farther and more commanding view all around. The vehicle was tested at Tokyo's Haneda Airport August 31.

The Airport Anti-terrorist Forces of the Metropolitan Police Department will patrol the departure lobby of the international terminals starting September 1. The vehicle bears police emblems and flashes red light. No siren, however.
The police authorities expect the use of Segway for general security patrolling at the airports and various public functions will not only help check terrorist activities but also enhance public security mind. 

According to Segway Japan, the vehicle is already used by private patrol companies. At Chubu International Airport, a private airport patrol company adopted Segway in 2008. 

The standard model of Segway weighs 47kg, 48x63cm in size, maximum load including the rider 48-118 kg. It runs on Li-ion battery. i2 SE Cargo model costs 999,000yen and i2 SE Patroller 1,020,000 yen.

Since its introduction a decade ago, US Segway have sold 100 thousand at home and the product is in its second generation. An autonomous automatic two-seater, P.U.M.A.(Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), was exhibited at a motor show in New York in April 2009.