Remember those Segways? The popular two-wheel personal traveling vehicles allowing users of all ages to easily move around a variety of areas?
It’s been recently revealed that China-based Ninebot robotics startup (backed by Xiaomi) has purchased the company behind Segway.
Ninebot isn’t new to personal transport devices. In fact, their Ninebot One is a self balancing wheel that can travel at speeds up to 35 kmh and can be tracked as well as controlled via a smartphone app.
The similarities between the devices resulted in Segway accusing the Chinese startup of copyright infringement six months ago.
The Segway acquisition is said to be backed by an influx of more than $80m in funding from Xiaomi, Sequoia Capital, Shunwei Foundation and West Summit Capital.
Ninebot is planning on using Segway’s self-balancing technology to produce new transport systems as Xiaomi continues its expansion plans into areas outside of smartphones.
