Intel brings back the Segway as a tiny, rideable robot

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich (far right) introduces the new Segway, center.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

By Lance Ulanoff1 hour ago

LAS VEGAS — In his third year delivering the CES keynote, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich finally let his hair down, sort of. He arrived without a suit, instead wearing a sweater, jeans and sneakers. He still looked like a CEO, but it appeared he wanted to connect not so much with the generation attending CES 2016 in Las Vegas, but the next, upcoming generation, the one that probably doesn’t wear suits.
Oh, and, he rode in on a robot.

CEA President Gary Shapiro rides the new Segway ad Intel CEO Brian Krzanich looks on.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

That robot, a two-wheeled number that looked like a hoverboard (the kind the kids love and that occasionally catch fire), is actually a brand new Segway. Yes, that Segway. It was just one of a number of Intel-powered technologies the CEO showed off over the course of a whirlwind, nearly two-hour keynote.

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This version of Segway was like a shrunk-down version of the original personal mobility device introduced by inventor Dean Kamen over a decade ago. All it lacked was the handle. What was more interesting than Krzanich’s ride in was when the rider returned onstage and revealed that it was also a small personal robot equipped with a simple face — mostly just a pair a glowing LED eyes (not as creepy as it sounds) — that could follow commands and navigate a home environment without the need of a rider.

The new Segway is programmable and has detachable arms.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

Intel’s part in all this? Along with partnering with Xiaomi and Segway on the engineering side, it supplied the RealSense visual system that let it navigate the home environment stage. When the robot arrives later this year, it will also come with an open source SDK. They even attached a pair of arms to the Segway, though it wasn’t clear what it would do with them.

What’s inside

Throughout the keynote, Krzanich was joined on stage by a parade of partners using Intel’s RealSense 3D visual system and its chips, including the tiny system-on-a-chip Curie.
There was a heavy focus on sports. Krzanich showed off a remarkable system, "freeD" powered by Replay Technologies, that could take live action sports games and turn them into what looked like a video game where you could stop the action in a basketball game, shift around perspective and then restart the action.

This is Intel freeD Replay Technologies. Looks like the future. #ces2016 https://t.co/xe9IGQVoNB

— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) January 6, 2016

"It changes the experience of what it means to be a spectator, you are the director, Krzanich said. Like many of the innovations Krzanich showed off Tuesday night, it was long on flash but a little thin on the details. He offered no information on exactly how the video was captured or transformed.

Sports quantified

Krzanich announced that Curie will ship this year and cost “less than $10.” At that price point in can be embedded in all sorts of things. He called it the “Start of a dramatic revolution in sports.”
We saw it in motocross racing bikes (in the seats and handle bars), as well as in outfit on a parkour expert. In each case Curie was used to quantify their activity and performance. “We capture and map the riders in 3D space to understand everything they do,” Krzanich said.

The X Games in Aspen will feature Intel embedded technology to monitor and display performance stats.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

“The real-time data excites the athletes, spurs competition, excites fans,” said John Skipper, ESPN President and Co-Chairman of Disney Media Networks, who joined Krzanich on stage to announce another of Intel’s myriad partnerships. Intel's system will be used as part of ESPN's upcoming X Games in Aspen.

A Parkour expert jumps over barriers as Intel Curie-powered clothes monitor his performance stats.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

Intel also announced a global partnership with Red Bull Media House, which is best known for its energy drinks and myriad stunt videos. They demonstrated how a parkour expert's dynamic moves could be quantified in data.

A smarter drone

Last year, Intel showed off a prototype drone that, thanks to Intel RealSense was expert at collision avoidance. This year, that product becomes real in the form of the Yuneec Typhoon H, an intelligent, consumer drone capable of flying unaided through the woods and around any obstacle.

Intel's Brian Krzanich holds the Yuneec Typhoon H, which uses Intel Real Sense technology to avoid obstacles.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

Krzanich said it ships this year and will cost less than $2,000.

At Work and Play

Intel also proved that the concept of smart glasses is not dead. With partner Oakley, it introduced “Radar Pace,” sunglasses that act as a sort of personal trainer during a workout, analyzing what the wearer is doing in real-time and offering encouragement, advice and direction.

3X Iron Man Champ Craig Alexander is wearing Oakley Radar Pace glasses. It's like wearing a coach. #CES2016 pic.twitter.com/tX0gjONNVx

— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) January 6, 2016

They showed it off on three-time Iron Man champ Craig Alexander, but said it could be used by those engaging in a casual workout, as well.

Intel and Daqri unveiled a smarter hard hat.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

One of the more intriguing demonstrations was the new Daqri smart helmet, which combined image recognition with augmented reality to help guide workers as they navigate complex and dangerous environments. Equipped with an Intel Core M Process, the Daqri is essentially a computerized hardhat.
What does this all mean? Intel wants its technology to be everywhere, not just in computers — which it most certainly is — but in clothes and robots and drones and bicycles and sneakers.
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