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Personal Transportation

A Segway evolved, RevoBot lets you roll on to wherever

Remember the Segway? It was touted as revolutionizing personal transportation device, but ended up being the preferred ride of Hollywood mall cops. Still, the bulky and expensive device inspired many to come up with something between a bicycle and a car.

RevoBot is a relatively lightweight, single-axle, two-wheeled balancing personal transporter that allows users to travel up to seven miles per hour. The Bluetooth-enabled device can be connected to a smartphone, enabling users to listen to music while traveling. Other features include a Samsung lithium ion battery that takes two hours to charge, along with LED lights for safety in the dark and low-light environments. It is being offered in a choice of five color options. RevoBot will retail for $1,000 and ships in September. Its maker set an Indiegogo campaign goal of raising $20,000 by August 4.

The intelligent body gravity board doesn’t feature any handles, so it could be harder to operate RevoBot than a Segway. But RevoBot’s maker says it’s easy to learn, with the average time for a beginner to get used to it only about 10-15 minutes. Larger drawbacks for some consumers could be the fact that it’s only been tested for users up to 230 pounds, and that it can only travel 10-12 miles on one charge. Of lesser concern is that although it was designed for indoor and outdoor use, its tires weren’t designed to be used on dirt roads. All in all, RevoBot seems like a fun gadget for the well-balanced to possibly save some time dashing through buildings.