The Rise and Fall of the Segway

Lessons for the Social Adoption of Future Transportation

in Transfers
Author:
Andrew V. ClarkUniversity of Connecticut andrew.clark@uconn.edu

Search for other papers by Andrew V. Clark in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Carol Atkinson-PalomboUniversity of Connecticut carol.atkinson-palombo@uconn.edu

Search for other papers by Carol Atkinson-Palombo in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
, and
Norman W. GarrickUniversity of Connecticut norman.garrick@gmail.com

Search for other papers by Norman W. Garrick in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
View More View Less
Restricted access

Once posited as a revolutionary transportation technology, the Segway never took off as some expected because the social acceptance of the technology was not considered in a systematic manner. Using a framework for social acceptance of technology borrowed from the literature on renewable energy, we examine how social, economic, and environmental costs of the Segway, along with regulatory issues presented barriers to implementation. High prices, legislative and spatial issues, and a lack of appeal to consumers presented challenges to acceptance. This case study provides a timely reminder of the multifaceted and complex nature of social acceptance that will need to be applied to future innovations, such as autonomous vehicles, to better understand factors that need to be considered for them to be embraced by society.

  • Collapse
  • Expand

Transfers

Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies

Metrics

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 1151 430 12
Full Text Views 91 2 0
PDF Downloads 123 12 0