Guy who invented segway dies

He got his break in when he invented a concertina design for wire cage walls, which are used by the military to protect bases and also for flood protection. The headquarters of his firm is a short distance from Heselden's childhood home.

Heselden was appreciative of his good fortune, but always remembered his own tough beginnings. The battery-powered Segway, which is stabilized by gyroscopes, was invented by Kamen, who founded the New Hampshire-based company in The Segway gained some notoriety in when then President George W.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters theatlantic. Skip to content. Sign in My Account Subscribe. The Atlantic Crossword. Police confirmed this morning that the year-old's body had been found in the river at Boston Spa, five miles from the Leeds factory where he made his first fortune from Afghanistan defence contracts.

Using redundancy money from his pit job, he invented a wire basket crammed with earth and water which proved far more effective than sandbags against mortar and missile attacks. West Yorkshire police said the scooter had been found nearby after the body had been reported by a local walker at The incident is not believed to be suspicious and the coroner has been informed," said a spokesman for the force. Heselden lived near the British Library's vast storage depot at Thorp Arch, a village on the other side of the river from the small, sought-after town of Boston Spa.

He lost his mining job in the pit closures after the miners' strike, but put his knowledge of geology and soil science to good use. Mr Heselden made his fortune when his Leeds-based firm, Hesco Bastion, developed the "blast wall" basket, which protects soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, as a replacement for traditional sandbags.

He gave millions of pounds away to charities associated with Leeds and the armed forces. Mr Heselden was also closely linked to the Help For Heroes charity, which helps injured military personnel. The inquest heard that Mr Heselden's wife Julie last saw her husband earlier that morning when he said he was going out to feed his fish. The coroner said the businessman was probably out walking his dog when the accident happened.

Mr Heselden is thought to have fallen on to the bank of the river before ending up in the water where he was found dead by Mr Christie.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Heselden died from "multiple blunt force injuries to the chest and spine consistent with a fall while riding a gyrobike".