Segway has been one of the more recognizable Silicon Valley brands of the past decade-plus. And despite some Hollywood snark about mall cops, Chinese personal transport maker Ninebot saw enough value in the company's brand and technology to acquire Segway last year. Now Ninebot -- which is backed by Intel Capital -- is placing its own brand under Segway's personal transportation business line, even as it pushes Segway into ambitious new product areas.

Like home robots. During his keynote at CES 2016, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich rode onstage aboard a Segway hoverboard ... which then morphed into a robotic butler. Powered by an Intel Atom processor, the device uses new Intel RealSense 3-D camera technology to navigate its environment and intelligently interact with users. Time gasped, "Segway's New Hoverboard Can Transform Into a Robot," while The Verge proclaimed itself smitten.

As if all that weren't enough, Segway-Ninebot announced it had closed a new funding round from Intel Capital and Singapore investment firm GIC. And while the size of the round wasn't disclosed, the company did note it's now valued at north of $1 billion.