zzcarolyn
06-23-2006, 12:44 PM
Mario Raneses and his Segseat made the front page of the Business section of our local paper, the Daily Breeze. It's a really nice piece. http://www.dailybreeze.com/business/articles/3215856.html
South Bay designer gambles he can turn a Segway into an Easy Rider
The addition to the Human Transporter makes it possible for a user with a disability to use the machine.
By Muhammed El-Hasan DAILY BREEZE
Three years ago, South Bay resident Mario Raneses saw a man at LAX who was getting around easily despite having had both legs amputated.
The man was on a Segway Human Transporter, a two-wheel motorized vehicle the driver guides by shifting his or her body weight and turning a throttle -- while standing on a platform.
Except, this man wasn't standing.
"I saw this guy, and he had a plywood box on it as a seat," recalled Raneses. "I asked him why don't you patent this and make more of them? He said, 'Oh, no. I don't need the money.'
That chance en-counter gave Raneses an idea that has led to a business venture. "I just knew there was a market for it," Raneses said of the man's makeshift Segway seat.
In April, Raneses began selling the Segseat, a foldable seat that can be attached to the Segway.
"The main market is people who can't walk far. They don't want to use a wheelchair and they don't want to use a scooter," said Raneses, 53, who runs his business from his Harbor Gateway apartment. "The benefit for disabled people ... is that they're high up."
Jerry Myrben bought a Segseat a few weeks ago through Raneses' Web site.
After a major spinal injury, two broken ankles and 66 years of living, Myrben requires the use of two canes to walk.
The Seal Beach man had tried wheelchairs and scooters for the handi-capped.
He hated them both.
They were too low, and he kept crashing the scooter.
"If you're in a scooter or wheelchair, your arch enemy is a dog. They're eye level," Myrben said.
A few months ago, he purchased a Segway, which put him at eye level with everyone else and served as a conversation piece that he describes as "cool" and a "people magnet."
The Segseat has made getting around even easier for Myrben.
"One thing about the Segway is every so often, you have to sit down because of the angle you drive and your feet need to rest," Myrben said. "With the seat, it only takes a second to (pull it up) and sit on it. ... I tried (a model) at Long Beach Segway. I thought it wouldn't function. But it does."
Since first putting the Segseat on the market in April, Raneses says he has sold about 75 to 80 either through his Web site or the handful of Segway dealers who carry his product.
The Segseat is sold at several Southern California Segway dealers, including in Long Beach and Santa Monica.
The Segseat, which must be installed onto the Segway, retails for $749.
Raneses' product attaches to the Segway's vertical bar. The driver can pull it into position while standing on the Segway or even as the vehicle moves.
The Segseat, which uses a standard unicycle seat, has four height positions and can slide back and forth to give the driver better control.
"You can be trucking on it and if you get tired, you just put up the seat," Raneses said. "And with this, you look cool riding it."
After meeting the Segway-driving double amputee at LAX, Raneses, who says he is good with car mechanics, started thinking about building a business around his own design for a seat.
"I was living it 24 hours," said Raneses, who works in customer service for Northwest Airlines. "I still am."
He purchased a Segway for about $3,500, and began designing a seat that would fit on it.
He came up with a plastic prototype, and showed it to some Segway dealers.
They liked it. So Raneses sent the designs to a Los Angeles engineering firm that built a metal prototype. He has the Segseat made in Taiwan.
Raneses' son Kyle helps him in the business with shipments and answering e-mails.
"I do all his dirty work. UPS is like my second home," the 23-year-old El Camino College student said.
The elder Raneses is promoting the Segseat at trade shows for products for the disabled.
He expects to sell many Segseats to people with the degenerative disease multiple sclerosis. He also has sent a few overseas, where he sees a big potential market.
Raneses estimates that he has spent about $170,000 to develop and promote the Segseat. He jokes that his parents thought he was crazy to spend so much on the Segseat.
"You just have to gamble," Raneses said. "That's just what an entrepreneur does."
South Bay designer gambles he can turn a Segway into an Easy Rider
The addition to the Human Transporter makes it possible for a user with a disability to use the machine.
By Muhammed El-Hasan DAILY BREEZE
Three years ago, South Bay resident Mario Raneses saw a man at LAX who was getting around easily despite having had both legs amputated.
The man was on a Segway Human Transporter, a two-wheel motorized vehicle the driver guides by shifting his or her body weight and turning a throttle -- while standing on a platform.
Except, this man wasn't standing.
"I saw this guy, and he had a plywood box on it as a seat," recalled Raneses. "I asked him why don't you patent this and make more of them? He said, 'Oh, no. I don't need the money.'
That chance en-counter gave Raneses an idea that has led to a business venture. "I just knew there was a market for it," Raneses said of the man's makeshift Segway seat.
In April, Raneses began selling the Segseat, a foldable seat that can be attached to the Segway.
"The main market is people who can't walk far. They don't want to use a wheelchair and they don't want to use a scooter," said Raneses, 53, who runs his business from his Harbor Gateway apartment. "The benefit for disabled people ... is that they're high up."
Jerry Myrben bought a Segseat a few weeks ago through Raneses' Web site.
After a major spinal injury, two broken ankles and 66 years of living, Myrben requires the use of two canes to walk.
The Seal Beach man had tried wheelchairs and scooters for the handi-capped.
He hated them both.
They were too low, and he kept crashing the scooter.
"If you're in a scooter or wheelchair, your arch enemy is a dog. They're eye level," Myrben said.
A few months ago, he purchased a Segway, which put him at eye level with everyone else and served as a conversation piece that he describes as "cool" and a "people magnet."
The Segseat has made getting around even easier for Myrben.
"One thing about the Segway is every so often, you have to sit down because of the angle you drive and your feet need to rest," Myrben said. "With the seat, it only takes a second to (pull it up) and sit on it. ... I tried (a model) at Long Beach Segway. I thought it wouldn't function. But it does."
Since first putting the Segseat on the market in April, Raneses says he has sold about 75 to 80 either through his Web site or the handful of Segway dealers who carry his product.
The Segseat is sold at several Southern California Segway dealers, including in Long Beach and Santa Monica.
The Segseat, which must be installed onto the Segway, retails for $749.
Raneses' product attaches to the Segway's vertical bar. The driver can pull it into position while standing on the Segway or even as the vehicle moves.
The Segseat, which uses a standard unicycle seat, has four height positions and can slide back and forth to give the driver better control.
"You can be trucking on it and if you get tired, you just put up the seat," Raneses said. "And with this, you look cool riding it."
After meeting the Segway-driving double amputee at LAX, Raneses, who says he is good with car mechanics, started thinking about building a business around his own design for a seat.
"I was living it 24 hours," said Raneses, who works in customer service for Northwest Airlines. "I still am."
He purchased a Segway for about $3,500, and began designing a seat that would fit on it.
He came up with a plastic prototype, and showed it to some Segway dealers.
They liked it. So Raneses sent the designs to a Los Angeles engineering firm that built a metal prototype. He has the Segseat made in Taiwan.
Raneses' son Kyle helps him in the business with shipments and answering e-mails.
"I do all his dirty work. UPS is like my second home," the 23-year-old El Camino College student said.
The elder Raneses is promoting the Segseat at trade shows for products for the disabled.
He expects to sell many Segseats to people with the degenerative disease multiple sclerosis. He also has sent a few overseas, where he sees a big potential market.
Raneses estimates that he has spent about $170,000 to develop and promote the Segseat. He jokes that his parents thought he was crazy to spend so much on the Segseat.
"You just have to gamble," Raneses said. "That's just what an entrepreneur does."