MIT doubles Segway Patroller fleet
Earlier this month MIT (Manukau Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand) purchased a second Segway Patroller model. MIT's first Segway Personal Transporter (PT) entered service at the start of 2009, and proved so successful an additional unit is now helping double the effectiveness of security staff.
The MIT campus is spread over two large sites, some 500m apart. Previously, both sites were patrolled by the same Segway Patroller. This proved inadequate to provide the level of service desired. While the security department also operates three golf carts and a car, it is the Segway Patroller that has demonstrated itself to be the single most useful and flexible vehicle for patrols. The Segway i2 Patroller model was selected because it can easily pass through doorways and other tight spaces, making indoor and outdoor patrolling very efficient. For example, the lock-up run is performed much more quickly on a Segway Patroller compared with on foot. At this site, the x2 Patroller model was found to be too wide.
Eight tertiary institutions around New Zealand now patrol on Segway PTs, and most operate more than one unit. Segway New Zealand expects most of the remainder of the larger tertiary institutions to incorporate Segway PTs into their security strategies over the next couple of years. A growing number of sites also use Segway PTs for internal mail delivery and for maintenance/locksmith roles. In such applications around New Zealand they have reduced mail runs by a two thirds, and doubled the number of maintenance jobs completed per day.