Oct. 21, 2015 didn’t bring with it the hoverboards Marty McFly used in “Back to the Future II.” However, the miniature Segway known as the hoverboard now has a presence here on BYU–Hawaii campus.
Teone Tahiata, a junior from Tahiti studying social work, said he is the first on-campus student to own one. He was teaching his friend Lau Gatoloai, a freshman from New Zealand majoring in art, how to ride it in the Aloha Center the Oct. 30, a day after it arrived. Gatoloai mentioned he was running on 2 hours of sleep as he was doing pirouettes with it in the Aloha Center.
Tahiata was inspired to buy himself one after seeing vines featuring the feet-only device. He said he wanted one at this time particularly for his Halloween costume: a ghost. His Segway would help him drift around the streets of Waikiki.
Tahiata was cruising around the Aloha Center teaching his friends, strangers, and even this reporter how to ride it. He said after one day he had already let around 40 people try it out. Tahiata instructed each person to use his or her hips to find balance. Putting weight on the toe causes the wheel to move forward, and weight on the heel causes the wheel to move in reverse.
Gatoloai said he feared if he stepped off, it might zoom forward with his other foot as he shifted his weight. He said, “If it's between buying this or an iPhone 6, I'd totally take one of these.”
He had been thinking about getting a new skateboard, but after giving Tahiata’s Segway a try, he said he is considering purchasing one for himself.Amy Percy, a freshman from Washington studying business management, immediately thought of Paul Blart, the security guard from the movie “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” when she heard the word “Segway.”
After watching the YouTube music video cover by daidmooretv for Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean,” a song that features dancers using these Segways in their performance, Percy thought it was pretty cool. “It would definitely take talent, effort, and balance, but it is a little weird too.” Students stopped to watched as Tahiata rode his Segway around the Aloha Center.
She said she probably wouldn’t buy one for herself. “I would feel like a poser,” she said. She also said if she got it as a gift she wouldn’t return it. Percy said she saw them being sold at the Ala Moana mall. Tahiata bought his on eBay for a total of $440 including shipping. It has 16 hours of battery life, it takes an hour to charge, and it can get up to 7.5 miles per hour (12 kilometers per hour).