I revisited the alternative vehicle project again in 2001 when I participated in an Internet forum that had formed to speculate on the nature of Dean Kamen's mysterious "IT" (which later was revealed to be the self-balancing but not-game-changing Segway). The group continued to brainstorm as to what the further evolution of this category of transportation device might bring forth.
Going beyond my previous ideas for a tiny personal vehicle, I developed some concepts for a self-balancing enclosed "car" for a single occupant. The egg shape was adopted as the optimal combination of aerodynamics and protection... literally a safety shell. Small retractable outriggers would balance the vehicle at rest. It was a fun intellectual exercise to explore how minimal a car could possibly become, while still retaining basic levels of comfort. Toyota has come close to this idea with their interesting PM (personal mobility) concept vehicle, shown in 2007, except that it relies on a traditional four wheel design. In 2011, General Motors started exploring this niche with their EN-V concept, which, with its Segway-like 2-wheeled balancing system, is more-closely resembles to my design for the iWay ten years earlier. (I guess I should have patented the idea... oh well!)
