Eye-witnesses said they say a man fall Sunday over a 30-foot drop into the river in a popular hiking area near the village of Boston Spa.

“The incident is not believed to be suspicious,” police said, hinting that they don’t believe anyone else was involved. Police have not revealed further details about the incident.

The Segway was invented by Dean Kamen, who founded the company in 1999.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Yahoo News

GM’s partnership with Segway to create the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (PUMA) came in at number 1 on Fortune’s list of the ‘Dumbest Moments in Business 2009.’

“It became clear this spring that General Motors was going to have to get smaller to survive, but this was ridiculous,” says Fortune. “A week after President Obama gave the company a 60 day deadline to avoid bankruptcy, GM took time out from its turnaround efforts to unveil the PUMA, a two-seat vehicle being developed with Segway that looked more like a rickshaw than a car.”

With its lithium-ion battery pack, two-wheel balancing and dual electric-motors, the P.U.M.A. can travel 35 miles between charged with a top speed of 35 mph.

GM and Segway P.U.M.A:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: CNNMoney

When we first saw GM and Segway’s P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) prototype, we thought it was the oddest-looking thing we’ve ever seen. Honestly, imagine for a second walking down the street and one of these P.U.M.A. contraptions passes you along.

However, when we saw today in person at the 2009 New York Auto Show and took a ride in around the show, we were totally amazed. With its lithium-ion battery pack, two-wheel balancing and dual electric-motors, the P.U.M.A. can travel 35 miles between charged with a top speed of 35 mph.

Much to our disappointed, GM wouldn’t allow us to have a quick race around the auto show.

Make the jump to view the high-res image gallery.

2009 New York: GM and Segway P.U.M.A:

- By: Kap Shah

To us, it looks like a baby stroller, or a phone booth or even something used by the cops to stop riots - but to GM and Segway, the P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) is a two-set prototype vehicle that has only two wheels. Apparently the two companies believe that the P.U.M.A. can free up some congestion in crowded urban areas while allowing people to travel around cities “more quickly, safely quietly and cleanly” (because walking didn’t already do that for you).

GM and Segway say that the P.U.M.A. also enables creativity, fashion, fun and social networking (or makes you look like a social outcast). Okay enough with the shots – you’re probably wondering how fast this baby can go and whether or not you can race other P.U.M.A.s down 5th ave.

The P.U.M.A. prototype vehicle uses a lithium-ion battery, two-wheel balancing, dual electric-motors and a digital smart energy management system. That allows the P.U.M.A. to hit a top speed of 35 mph with a range of up to 35 miles between charges.

Check out the press release and more high-res images.

GM and Segway P.U.M.A:

Press Release:

GM and Segway Join Forces to Reinvent Urban Transportation

NEW YORK – General Motors Corp. and Segway today demonstrated a new type of vehicle that could change the way we move around in cities.

Dubbed Project P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), GM and Segway are developing an electrically powered, two-seat prototype vehicle that has only two wheels. It could allow people to travel around cities more quickly, safely, quietly and cleanly – and at a lower total cost. The vehicle also enables design creativity, fashion, fun and social networking.

GM and Segway announced their collaboration, while demonstrating the Project P.U.M.A. prototype in New York City this morning.

“Project P.U.M.A. represents a unique solution to moving about and interacting in cities, where more than half of the world’s people live,” said Larry Burns, GM vice president of research and development, and strategic planning. “Imagine small, nimble electric vehicles that know where other moving objects are and avoid running into them. Now, connect those vehicles in an Internet-like web and you can greatly enhance the ability of people to move through cities, find places to park and connect to their social and business networks.”

Trends indicate that urbanization is growing, and with that comes increased congestion and more competition for parking. Cities around the world are actively looking for solutions to alleviate congestion and pollution. Project P.U.M.A. addresses those concerns. It combines several technologies demonstrated by GM and Segway, including electric drive and batteries; dynamic stabilization (two-wheel balancing); all-electronic acceleration, steering and braking; vehicle-to-vehicle communications; and autonomous driving and parking. Those technologies integrate in Project P.U.M.A. to increase mobility freedom, while also enabling energy efficiency, zero emissions, enhanced safety, seamless connectivity and reduced congestion in cities.

“We are excited to be working together to demonstrate a dramatically different approach to urban mobility,” said Jim Norrod, CEO of Segway Inc. “There’s an emotional connection you get when using Segway products. The Project P.U.M.A. prototype vehicle embodies this through the combination of advanced technologies that Segway and GM bring to the table to complete the connection between the rider, environment, and others.”

Project P.U.M.A. vehicles will also allow designers to create new fashion trends for cars, and to focus on the passion and emotion that people express through their vehicles while creating solutions that anticipate the future needs of urban customers.

The Project P.U.M.A. prototype vehicle integrates a lithium-ion battery, digital smart energy management, two-wheel balancing, dual electric wheel motors, and a dockable user interface that allows off-board connectivity. The result is an advanced and functional concept that demonstrates the capabilities of technology that exists today.

Built to carry two or more passengers, it can travel at speeds up to 35 miles per hour (56 kph), with a range up to 35 miles (56 km) between recharges.

Since the introduction of the Segway Personal Transporter (PT), Segway has established itself as the leader in the small electric vehicle space. Its approach to congestion and environmental challenges is balanced with a strong understanding of the functional needs of its customers, enabling them to do more with less. Segway has delivered more than 60,000 lithium-ion batteries to the market.

GM has been a leader in “connected vehicle” technologies since it introduced OnStar in 1996. Today, this on-board communications package connects six million subscribers in North America to OnStar safety and security services. GM has also pioneered vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications systems and transponder technology. These and additional connected vehicle technologies could ultimately enable vehicles that don’t crash and drive themselves.

“Imagine moving about cities in a vehicle fashioned to your taste, that’s fun to drive and ride in, that safely takes you where you want to go, and “connects” you to friends and family, while using clean, renewable energy, producing zero vehicle tailpipe emissions, and without the stress of traffic jams,” said Burns. “And imagine doing this for one-fourth to one-third the cost of what you pay to own and operate today’s automobile. This is what Project P.U.M.A. is capable of delivering.”

- By: Omar Rana