With all the of media buzz, ranging from tech magazines to Fox News about the Ogo, a two-wheel self-balancing power wheelchair, I decided to give it a closer look.

The Ogo — built around the type of gyroscopic technology used in Segways — is the brainchild of New Zealand inventor Kevin Halsall. The idea was spurred by his friend who is a paraplegic. Halsall explains that although his friend is extremely active, his manual chair fell short in areas like wheeling off road and mowing the lawn.

To control Ogo, you lean in the direction you want to go — forward, right, left, and lean back to stop and/or go in reverse. The lean-to-control looks intuitive in videos and also looks very cool, leaning side to side carves slalom-like turns. The Ogo has an impressive, projected top speed of 12mph and a range of 18 miles.

In the “cooler-still department,” it can be fitted with all-terrain balloon tires, which gives it off-road capability including going through beach sand. I’ve seen Segways fitted with the same off-road wheels and a modified wheelchair seat, and they have good off-road capabilities. I’m already daydreaming of sitting on an Ogo, effortlessly cruising down a deserted stretch of beach as the sun meets the horizon.

On the other hand, here are my “pin in the dream-balloon” thoughts: To use the lean-control a user needs good core (abdominal) muscles, or at minimum good arm and hand control. Without a good way to control your trunk, falling forward or backward — which would give full-speed-input — would be … bad.

To Halsall’s credit the current prototype comes with a thumb-controlled joystick, which can lock out the lean-to-move control with the flip of a switch. Halsall is also working with therapists to develop controls for a wider range of disabilities including people with stroke, amputations, and quadriplegics. Although in addition to different controllers, there will also have to be seating and positioning options. I can see this as an option for a people with a wide variety of mobility related disabilities.

I hope Halsall can pull this off, the more options the better.

Additional “pin in the reality-balloon” thoughts include transportation. A Segway weighs 95 pounds, so it will require a van with a lift, or a trailer. And last but not least, is the never-ending shadow of funding. A Daily Mail UK article says the price of the Ogo, $16,995, is unreachable by people with a mortal income.

Sadly this seems destined to put the Ogo on a similar path as the iBOT.

Still, I’m hoping Halsall’s project succeeds as it it opens up interesting possibilities. Imagine how cool it would be if a vendor, or county, city or state agency purchased them for rent at a popular beaches, or national parks?

For sure I will place an order for an Ogo — just as soon as my dollar investment in lotto numbers hits. When that happens, you will see me at sunrise, cruising my Ogo down a stretch of beach as my service dog Killy — off the clock — frolics in and out of the surf.