Segway has built the ultimate moving chair – the S-Pod

Why stand when you can sit? That would probably be the adage of many a lazy person who would prefer to sit in their commute than stand. This seems to be a trend that e-scooter manufacturer Segway is hoping to rely on as it has unveiled a new take on the personal transport device called the S-Pod. An egg-shaped device that offers similar compactness and manoeuvrability as a regular scooter but has you sitting instead.

As revealed at CES 2020 (via CNET) the new transportation pod makes use of self-levelling technology to provide balance and adjust to a person sitting on it. Rather than needing to lean forwards or backwards to control it, the device uses a controller to drive and navigate it around. It looks a little unwieldy and impractical, but with speeds of up to 40kph – and seatbelts for safety – it is zippy and could help a very lazy person get around quickly. The device is also said to come with a detachable pad so that it can be controlled remotely too, though the practicalities of that are not immediately clear.

While incredibly compact, it does look perhaps a little too bulky for the kind of pavement manoeuvring that makes a scooter so much more efficient. The company apparently sees a device like this being used at airports, theme parks and shopping malls where staff can more easily move around at speed without needing to stand up. It may also spark a desire to make another Paul Blart movie too. Let’s hope not.

Segway has not provided any launch information just yet though mall security everywhere I’m sure would die to give these a shot. If I ever got my hands on one of these though, expect me to try to start playing some urban bumper cars. Or use it as my home couch and just drive everywhere without ever needing to get up, ala the humans in Wall-e

Last Updated: January 7, 2020