"This is so cool," said Lipman, 24.

Lipman was one of the 60-plus people that participated in a Segway demonstration on July 24. The demonstration was sponsored by the city's bicycle and pedestrian commission.

"Segway is an energy-saving people transporter," said Joe Walton, who sits on the commission. "We are interested in introducing Segway to people as an alternative means of transportation. Since there are also concerns whether Segway will get along with pedestrians on sidewalks, we think the best way to know is to try it."

Segway was invented by Dean Kamen and released in 2002. It's claimed to be the first self-balancing, electric-powered transportation device ever. A Segway can go up to 12.5 miles an hour and travel 10 to 15 miles on a single charge of its batteries.

As the origin of its name suggests, Segway moves, or "segues," smoothly from one location to another. Riders can sail through parks, sidewalks and malls without stepping down from the platform.

Segway is easy to operate. The gyroscopes and tilt sensors in the scooter monitor a rider's center of gravity at about 100 times a second so it can move seamlessly with the rider's body movements.

Many cities, including Seattle and Washington, D.C., have used Segways for law enforcement. In mid-2002, the city of Seattle bought 10 Segway machines for its water meter readers. Although one Segway costs $5,000, the meter readers' productivity doubled and it only cost the city $3 a year to power, according to an evaluation report by the Seattle city government.

But in some other cities, including San Francisco, Segway is banned on the sidewalks.

Cupertino will not consider acquiring Segways anytime soon, says the city's public information officer, Rick Kitson.

"We don't have any official usage for that," Kitson said. "And going somewhere without driving is foreign to many Cupertino residents."