The Orbis has it all over the Segway. It’s half as big as the Segway, has easier maneuverability in tight spots and folds down for storage. It also sports a 13 mph top speed and is battery powered. Eat it Segway.

It isn’t all awesomeness though. It has some obvious balance issues. Those can be worked out though with some time and money. At the moment it’s just a concept, but a good one. It will likely come to pass, since this thing is like the hot rod of the Segway culture.

If you wanted some new hardware to go along with the new Wii Fit Plus, you must be feeling disappointed, but don’t worry. There are some unusual surprises awaiting you in the game. Like a new Segway mini-game that’s been developed with Segway.

That’s right, you can use the Wii Balance Board and Wii Remote to simulate what it’s like to ride on a Segway. Oh joy. At least you won’t fall off and look like a dork. Looks like it’s a simple balloon-popping game that involves a “mole-like creature.” To operate the virtual Segway x2, just stand on the balance board and lean forward to make your Mii character ride forward. To turn left and right, you lean a Wii remote left or right.

The Dareway is a four-wheeled Segway knockoff for kids. Now kids can pretend they have way too much disposable income and Glide down the street in packs, toting briefcases. Kids 5 and up will be the talk of the playground.

The Dareway even dares you to buy it for your kid with its very name. Do you have the guts to make your little one “that kid”? The Dareway is powered by a rechargeable 12V battery and can spin 360 degrees. It only costs about $220. Sure to be dangerous. Dare you?

It’s Friday. You know what that means. It’s time for our weekly robot roundup. It’s been a busy week over at Botropolis, as usual. Robots don’t take a break and neither do we. Rest assured, we will still be reporting on their exploits even as the bunker burns around us and cold metal fingers tighten around our necks. Until that day, we shall document their rise to power, fearing them, preparing, and checking out cool robot toys that distract us.

Two new Segway bots: A Bomb-Defusing, Riot-Controlling, Firefighting duo.

Loki: A robot named after the Norse god.

We love it when a plan comes together: The Robot A-Team.

Conspiracy: Robot Spotted Reading The Bible In Bulls Logo.

The Steampunk Segway aka Legway, has some trouble making turns, according to the creator, but if you can’t afford a real Segway, this is a cheap DIY alternative. Of course you’ll have to provide all of the power yourself. At least that makes it eco-friendly.

If you want to try your hand at making one, head over to Instructables and make your own Legway. Then prepare to feel the burn. Before you know it, you’ll be saving up for the real deal. Because pedal power is for the birds.

Did a robot swallow that guy? Is this the next part of our evolution, where our legs are replaced by robots? Could be. In which case this is an evolutionary mullet. Business suit on top, partying robot on the bottom.

It’s actually for amputees. They will be the first to be assimilated by this contraption, trading in their crutches for this strikingly scary wearable commuter named the Chariot. The Exmovere Chariot makes it so that you are basically one half Segway. It’s all self-balancing and hands-free, making it easy for the disabled to get around and do normal things.

The Chariot has a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour and the upright design ensures that the wearer can communicate and interact just like any normal person.

[Botropolis]

General Motors and Segway have joined forces to create something larger than a Segway and smaller than a car. The end result will be the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project (PUMA) whose goal is to deliver a self-balancing, two-wheeled vehicle that shuttles two people around at speeds up to 35 mph.

If you’re keeping score, that’s three times faster than Segway’s 12 mph top speed. It woill have a 35 mile range as well. The vehicle will be powered by a lithium battery and feature a built-in communications device that can “talk” to similar vehicles nearby.

The Cajun Crawler is a remarkable application of Theo Jansen’s fascinating articulated walking legs. This is really the first-known practical application, designed and built by UL Engineering students. They clam it even has the steering power of a tank if you can believe that.

The crawler moves at about 2 to 3 miles per hour. Which gives you a fair chance to run when you see an army of them with no riders coming at you. It looks awesomely cool and moves amazingly. We’re equal parts in awe and just plain creeped out.

Bikes are a great environmentally friendly way to get around. But not so much when you’ve had a few drinks. That’s where this self-stabilizing bike comes in handy. It will keep you upright when you’ve had a few too many. It arrives in the world courtesy of researchers at Yokohama’s Keio University.

It’s equipped with two motors: one that moves the rear wheel about 2.5 meters per second while the other controls the handlebars. A linux controller keeps watch of everything via webcam and gyro sensor, steering the vehicle and adjusting its speed accordingly. Right now the bike is only able to stay upright when moving in a straight line, but before you know it they will have a system that can corner and work in the real world. So go ahead, drink up.

Segway has been trying like hell to revolutionize how humans get around and it seems like they are selling more as gas prices go up. Toyota wants to give them some competition with the Toyota Winglet. The name alone doesn’t inspire much confidence. The Winglet’s body has a 10.4 x 18-inch footprint and stands 3.7-feet tall, depending upon the model you choose.(They come in S, M, or L models)

The electric motor can do a max 6km/h cruising speed for up to 10km. The user controls the Winglet by shifting his weight to move it forward and back or make turns. Consumer testing should begin at the Central Japan International Airport this fall with more testing in crowded places planned for 2009. It looks pretty sily, but as gas prices go up, it begins to look beter and better. Check out a video below.

If you don’t want to pick up a Segway for $5,000, you might want to check this out. It’s a manually-powered unicycle that will get you around town. To onlookers you will appear to be skiing on the sidewalk while sweating like a fat kid in gym class.

You might want to consider the workout tubby, what with rising gas prices. I’m sure your boss will let you park it inside too, to prevent theft. Won’t that be swell? Laughed at on the way to work and laughed at during. Oh, and on the way home. Sadly, it is but a concept, so you’ll have to find another way around for now.

Ever feel lonely rolling down the road in your Segway? The company behind the two wheeled people mover platform wants to help you connect with other Segway users locally and globally and has launched a social networking site to help all interact in a global movement of harmony and conversion. Segway Social has been born.

The idea behind Segway Social is to let Segway users have a central place in which they can create profiles, join groups, tag glides, share photos and more in an online community setting. The site is free to join and is also being used as a marketing tool by Segway to educate non-owners about its product.

By now I think we are all on board with the fact that the two-wheeled segway is ridiculous. Anyone riding one looks like they should be leaving a trail of drool in their wake. Well, Segway just redeemed themselves with this nice piece of work. The RMP “hyperdirectional” transporter was introduced at this year’s RoboBusiness, and can hold at least one super-size 400-pound human.

It has a nice tank type look. Seems like it can do it’s thing in just about in any direction too. Aside from that my friends, details are elusive. No release date either. But the term “fifty thousand dollars” should be enough to scare most of you off.

Check out this guy with a little too much time and money on his hands with a customized Segway. The personal transport device is outfitted with what looks like 6 small car tires, three on each side, making it the widest and possibly the most impractical Segway we’ve seen yet. The tires stretch it out two feet on either side and sound like they add as much noise as they do traction. Check out the video after the jump.

When the iShoes first rolled out, they looked fairly clunky, with 4 large wheels. But in no time at all, they have had an upgrade. They lost a wheel and look a lot sleeker now. These “shoes” are powered by electric motors and controlled by a wired remote. They can also hit speeds of up to 15 mph. Presumably more with their new sleeker upgrade and they come in men’s and women’s sizes.

Right now it is in the prototype phase still, but they hope that they will go 5 to 7 miles without having to recharge the batteries. Can you say Skinned knees? How about broken limbs?