That wacky Chinese government (always at the forefront of technological oppression) has done it again, claiming the nefarious device that nearly killed President Bush as their very own beatdown tool...

It doesn't immediately strike fear in the hearts of evil-doers.. but then again, we're not the ones staring down the business end of an automatic weapon.

Apparently, Chinese soldiers were trained on the Segway to move and corner using only their knees and shifting weight. They could then keep their hands on their miniaturized, toy-like weapon at all times as they roll around in elaborate Harlem Globetrotter patterns.

This is a short step - - er...roll away from cyberpunk fiction.

"A constable from the Shanghai police, legs strapped into a pedomotive, was coming down the street with the tremendous loping strides afforded by such devices, escorted by a couple of power-skating Ashantis." - Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age