Segway unveils its new pod on wheels

Visitors at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, were the first to be able to drive the Segway S-Pod, using a joystick and built-in smartscreen pad to steer, spin, accelerate, and slow down.

The company says they want to see the S-Pod appearing in airports, theme parks, and shopping malls at first but say eventually it could make it onto the streets in the smart cities of the future.

Like Segway's other products, the S-Pod features self-balancing technology and a center-of-gravity automatic control system.

A spkespersn, Julie Tang, said the S-Pod was inspired by the gyrosphere vehicle in the 2015 science fiction thriller "Jurassic World," but it also drew comparisons to the hoverchair from the 2008 Disney Pixar film "Wall-E."

The all-electric pod should be expected to make it onto the commercial market later this year and to the consumer market next year.