ANN ARBOR—Prospective students soon will get a feel for the University of Michigan’s cutting-edge engineering as it applies to North Campus tours.

Acting upon a recommendation from engineering students who researched ways to improve campus tours, U-M’s College of Engineering has purchased 10 two-wheeled, battery-powered Segway personal transporters.

Segway representatives say U-M is the first college campus to use the motorized two-wheeler for tours.

The impact of using Segways lends a cutting-edge twist, and allows visitors to take less time to see more of North Campus, said Jeanne Murabito, executive director for student affairs at the College of Engineering.

“It definitely enhances the profile of our tours, and gives visitors an introduction of how we’re always looking for innovative alternatives,” she said. The rolling tour will now make visits to Bursley Hall, located at the edge of campus, adding a residence hall stop and rounding out a survey of student life.

The impetus for the rolling reconnaissance project began with engineering students who saw the possibilities for improving tours of their campus. “These students dug very deeply into the feasibility of this, looking at liability issues, maintenance, things like that. They had a really strong proposal that we were able to build on,” Murabito said.

Currently, walking tours are conducted on Monday and Friday afternoons for groups ranging from 20-60 students and parents. The Segways will operate separately from traditional walking tours conducted at the same time.

Tour guides and other students participated in recent training sessions to learn how to drive—and teach others to drive—the gyroscope-guide devices.

“We’ll get to see a lot more” on the tours, said Jordan Adams, an electrical engineering student and tour guide. “I think it kind of gives the college one more step up on other colleges.

Eight visitors and two tour guides will use Segways on each tour. The two-wheelers are emblazoned with the iconic the Block M and College of Engineering logo.