Have you heard about the Segway? The manufacturer refers to this as a “Personal Transporter” (http://www.segway.com/). What’s a personal transporter? It’s a rather cool looking device that looks like an adult version of a scooter. It runs on batteries, and has a top speed of about 12 miles per hour. The manufacturer promotes it as a “green” alternative for commuters, commercial applications, police and security, etc. They even make an off-road version (I guess it’s for those like the idea of mountain biking but don’t like to sweat or exert themselves). I have to admit, I LOVE technology, and as a technology lover, I think this thing looks really cool. It’s self-balancing, so it requires no skill to ride (as someone who has had many bruises and lacerations from mountain bike accidents, I guess that part sounds pretty good).
So, what’s the problem? I began thinking about the Segway a few weeks ago, when I read an article in the Knoxville News Sentinel (Knoxnews.com) featuring the use of the Segway scooter by meter readers for a gas company. These devices range in price from around $4,000 to around $5,500, so the gas company was clearly being kind to its employees in investing so much in their welfare. This got me wondering….would I spend $5,000 for a device that took most of the effort (and calorie burning) from everyday life? Just think, I might never have to exert myself again! This would have its advantages, of course. For example, I could subsist on many fewer calories! But wait…I LIKE TO EAT! I don’t want something that will reduce my need for calories (and I certainly don’t want to spend $5,000 for the privilege).
It’s tough to maintain energy balance (i.e. balancing our food intake with our physical activity) in our modern society, and the last thing we need are more devices to reduce our physical activity. We know that it is easiest to balance our calorie intake with calorie burning when our level of calorie burning (physical activity) is high, and that it is very difficult to reduce our calorie intake to match reduced physical activity, Giving up one of our last vestiges of physical activity can only serve to accelerate our obesity epidemic. Two thirds of American adults are already overweight or obese; take away the small bits of walking that remain in modern society, and we could easily reach 100%.
Let’s be clear. I’m not against Personal Transporters. I routinely use my set of personal transporters (they’re called feet!). Now I acknowledge that my feet can’t move me along at 12 mph, so I might need a bit of help if I have more ground to cover. I imagine this must be the situation encountered by the gas company as they purchased Segways for their meter readers. However, there is an alternative. How about a bicycle? A decent commuting/city bicycle can be had for about 1/10 the cost of the Segway, requires no batteries, can surpass the speed of a Segway, and provides the opportunity to increase, rather than decrease, physical activity on the job and contribute positively to employee health and welfare…..something to think about!
-Till next week!
