By now, we've all heard of the Segway, inventor Dean Kamen's environmentally friendly, computerized human transporter. Although Kamen claims it will do to the car what the car did to the horse and buggy, many people have their doubts about the future of the scooter-like vehicle.

Despite its appearance, the Segway (www.segway.com) just might be the next big thing in mobility in warehouses and on the shop floor.

GE Plastics already is testing the scooter in warehousing applications at its Selkirk, N.Y., thermoplastics facility. Delphi Automotive and Pacific Scientific also have signed on to evaluate the Segway, and Amazon.com has three units in one of its warehouses. Michelin North America, meanwhile, is providing Segways to plant supervisors and other employees in Greenville, S.C.

At $8,000, the industrial model is more expensive than a bicycle but cheaper than some alternatives for getting around large factories and warehouses. Kamen estimates they'll cost just 5 cents a day to operate.

At speeds of 5 to 17 mph and a range of 17 miles per battery charge, they are capable of zipping around facilities of any size. Furthermore, the Segway can accommodate passengers weighing up to 250 pounds and a cargo weight of 75 pounds.

"I have driven it, and think it's way cool," says Lynn Mann, public relations manager for Michelin, which designed the wheels. "Once you get on it, you can very easily imagine ways you can apply it."

What kind of applications? Mann believes the Segway could be a big time saver in plants and warehouses. "Our plant supervisors walk across a sprawling plant floor several times a day, and we have repair crews that need to get to places quickly where down time is an issue," she says. Michelin is outfitting some test units with pull-behind trailers, she adds.

Once the "gee whiz" factor passes, the question will remain: Sure they're cool, but where's the ROI?

"We don't know," says Mann. "Michelin worked on the design, so we think we have a good idea of their capability. But like any other piece of equipment, we'll have to be convinced that it increases productivity and makes economic sense."