CARRIED AWAY BY IT SCOOTER TEST DRIVER FINDS EXPERIENCE TRANSPORTING, IN KEEPING WITH L.A. COOL.

Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Staff Writer

SANTA MONICA - IT's too cool. So L.A. kind of cool.

IT is inventor Dean Kamen's Segway Human Transporter, the mystery shrouded invention formerly known as IT.

And after all the hype, I couldn't wait to try it out myself. OK, so it's not a human levitation device, won't beam me anywhere or leap a curb in a single bound.

But Segway - the two-wheeled, gyroscope-stuffed, electricity-powered human transporter - is supposed to revolutionize the way we move about.

Maybe, maybe not.

Based on it's Los Angeles area audition Wednesday, the Segway definitely is a head-turner. Pedestrians, Rollerbladers, bikers and the rest of Santa Monica's street folks went gaga over Segway.

And they didn't even get to ride it.

I did.

Armed with a reporter's full dose of skepticism, I got aboard and found Segway is a gas (something you won't have to buy if you eventually are lucky enough to own one).

As billed by Kamen, it only took about a minute to figure out the gizmo that kind of reads your mind. You think forward, backward and stop and it does it.

But the first few seconds were more than a little interesting.

Michael Taylor, my spotter and Segway LLC employee, fired it up with a special key that also limited Segway's speed to about 6 mph, about half its top speed. I pushed the handle until I felt the gyros kick in, then hopped aboard one foot at a time.

Segway bobbed back and forth like a rocking chair with attitude. Then both of us calmed right down and just stayed right where we were, which was on the sidewalk that runs in front of the beach.

I leaned forward and Segway and I went forward. Taylor backed up. I leaned back and Segway and I moved backward. Taylor walked forward.

Kamen and a television reporter stood nearby aboard two other machines and chatted away.

I leaned forward to eavesdrop, and Segway and I headed off on our merry way. Taylor trotted alongside.

A bicyclist stopped to gape.

I thought about stopping and did.

Then I just thought about going forward and off we went; me, Segway and Taylor. Same thing for going backward, just like Kamen promised.

Soon I was whizzing along the sidewalk, running Taylor up and down a fairly steep hill and spinning some tight 360s just by turning the yaw control on the left handle bar.

That's the only control I had to master.

Kamen spent about 12 years and $100 million developing the device so naturally he's got some serious business in mind. He hopes to sell the first production models to businesses and governments for about $8,000 each and then bring the price down to consumers in a year or so to about $3,000.

The key to the system is what Kamen calls ``dynamic stabilization,'' which enables Segway to work as though it were one with anybody's body. For example, gyroscopes and tilt sensors monitored my body's center of gravity 100 times a second.

``From ancient times until today, cities were built with the idea of walking around them,'' Kamen said. ``Walking hasn't changed in the last 5,000 years except for going from the sandal to the sneaker. We see ourselves as expanded pedestrians. Wherever people can walk, we belong.''

Already fans abound.

The Boston Police Department is looking at Segway for beat cops and California state officials are looking at it too.

Rusty Areias, director of the state Department of Parks and Recreation, envisions park rangers on Segways.

``Right now at state parks we have 125,000 visitors per park ranger annually, the highest ratio of any park system anywhere. We need help, and I view this as a way of basically covering more ground for our rangers.''

Of course, they'd be limited to Segway's 17-mile range per charge-up.

State Treasurer Phil Angelides sees its possibilities for short trips, too.

``I loved it. It was great. It was terrific. It was quite an experience.''

YOU GOT ``IT''

The device, formerly known as IT, at a glance

-- SPEED: Up to 12.5 mph

-- RANGE: Up to 17 miles on a single charge

-- TURNING RADIUS: Zero

-- PAYLOAD: Passenger: 250 lbs.

Cargo: 75 lbs.

Future Off Board Cargo Module: More than 300 lbs.

-- SIZE: Platform height, 8 inches

Footprint, 19 x 25 inches

-- WEIGHT: Weight: 80 lbs.

-- COST: Consumer price, when it's available late next year, will be about $3,000.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

(color) The Segway Human Transporter draws curious looks Wednesday during a demonstration for Los Angeles media representatives along the bike path in Santa Monica.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

Box:

YOU GOT ``IT'' (see text)