Dean Kamen
Dean L. Kamen (born
April 5,
1951) is an
American entrepreneur and
inventor. Born in
Rockville Centre,
New York, he attended
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, but dropped out before graduating. His father is
Jack Kamen, the illustrator of
Weird Science and other
EC Comics.
DEKA
Kamen founded
DEKA Research & Development Corporation in
1982. With the success of his inventions, DEKA now employs about 200 engineers, technicians and machinists who work in the firm's electronics and
software engineering labs, machine shop, and on
CAD stations. According to the company's
website, DEKA's mission is "to foster innovation."
Inventions
Kamen is probably most well-known to the public from the publicity surrounding the product that eventually became known as the
Segway HT, a kind of electric
scooter with a complex, computer-controlled
gyroscopic stabilization and control system that keeps the device balanced on two horizontally-placed wheels and controlled by moving body weight. The machine's secret development was the object of much speculation after segments of a book quoting
Steve Jobs and other notable
IT visionaries espousing its society-revolutionising potential were leaked in January
2001.
Kamen has worked extensively on a project involving
Stirling engine designs, attempting to create a machine that would generate power while serving as a
water purification system. He hopes the project will help improve living standards in developing countries.
[Kirsner, Scott. "Breakout Artist", Wired magazine, 8.09, Sept 2000.] Kamen has also invented a
compressed air powered device which would launch a human into the air in order to quickly launch
SWAT teams or other emergency workers to the roofs of tall, inaccessible buildings.
[Williams, Chris. "DARPA plots emergency man-cannon", The Register, May 16, 2006]However, Kamen was already a successful and wealthy inventor, after inventing a new type of mobile
dialysis system for medical applications, as well as an all-terrain electric
wheelchair known as the
iBOT using many of the same gyroscopic balancing technologies that later made their way into the Segway.
An article states that Kamen holds that "walking is a remnant of the Dark Ages, an unpleasant time-waster that technology need eradicate"
[Orlet, Christopher. "Segway's assault on walking," Salon.com, December 7, 2001.]; this point is often noted by critics of the Segway, who feel that walking is a natural human exercise that should be encouraged, not made obsolete, to offset declining health figures.
Awards
During his career Kamen has won numerous awards. In April 2002, Kamen was awarded the
Lemelson-MIT Prize for inventors for his invention of the Segway and of an infusion pump for
diabetics. He was elected to the
National Academy of Engineering in 1997 for his biomedical devices and for making engineering more popular among high school students. In 2000, he was awarded the
National Medal of Technology by
US President Bill Clinton.
FIRST
In 1989, Kamen founded the
robotics organization,
FIRST (
For
Inspiration and
Recognition of
Science and
Technology), for
high school students. In
2005, it held over 30 regional competitions and one national competition. Kamen remains the driving force behind the organization, providing over 1,000 high schools with the tools needed to learn valuable engineering skills. FIRST has gained a great deal of publicity from companies such as
CNN,
General Motors,
Google and
Delphi.
Kamen is currently single, claiming he's "married to his inventions". His primary residence is an eclectic
hexagon-shaped
shed style mansion he has dubbed Westwind
, located just outside of
Bedford,
New Hampshire. The house has at least four different levels and is very eclectically conceived, with such things as hallways resembling mine shafts,
1960s novelty furniture, and a huge cast-iron steam engine which once belonged to
Henry Ford built into the center atrium of the house, which Kamen eventually hopes to turn into a Stirling engine-powered
kinetic sculpture. Kamen owns two helicopters, which he regularly uses to commute to work.
|
Dean Kamen's home on North Dumpling Island |
Kamen owns the small
North Dumpling Island off the coast of
Connecticut, and has "declared" the island to be an
independent state. As can be seen in the photograph to the right, what looks like an abstract version of
Stonehenge is on the west side of the island. Its function or significance is not known. Also, a
windmill can be seen in the right side of the picture, presumably to provide power, although it is often observed to be locked in a stationary position. Recently (Spring 2006), an
amphibious vehicle, similar to a
WWII DUKW, was observed parked next to one of the buildings on the island.
*
DEKA website*
Bio of Dean Kamen – from
Wired Magazine*
Listen to the Dean Kamen interview on Radiophiles.org*
FIRST's official website**
Kamen's biography at FIRST*
"Segway creator unveils his next act" - Dean Kamen aligning with
Iqbal Quadir, the founder of
Grameen Phone to bring remote villages electricity and cell phones
