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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.
Career 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. 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. However, Kamen was already a successful and wealthy inventor, after inventing the AutoSyringe, 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. Awards During his career Kamen has won numerous awards. 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. 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. In 2005 he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his invention of the AutoSyringe. In 2006 Kamen was awarded the Global Humanitarian Action Award by the United Nations. 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. For 2007, 36 competitions will be held. 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. Personal life Kamen is currently single, claiming he's "married to his inventions". His primary residence is an interesting 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. Kamen was the pilot and owner of a Piper Mirage single engine airplane which crashed on landing at Block Island State airport on September 5, 1993. The NTSB crash report concludes with the following: NTSB PROBABLE CAUSE NARRATIVE: IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, AND HIS FAILURE TO ATTAIN PROPER RUNWAY ALIGNMENT. 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. | ||||||||
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