Dean Kamen was born on April 5th, 1951 in New Hampshire. He studied at Worcester Polytechnic Institute but he didn’t finish it. While he was in school, he was working on a private advanced research for the drug infusion pump called AutoSyringe, and that is why he dropped out before graduating.
He hold more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents. Most of them are used for innovative medical devices. His inventions has had an worldwide impact in health care.
One of the products that is really popular nowadays, the Segway PT, was invented by Dean Kamen. The Segway PT is an “electric, self-balancing human transporter with a computer-controlled gyroscopic stabilization and control system.” (“Wikipedia”, 2014) This device consists of a long body and two wheels and is controlled by body weight. Once you lay back the Segway stops and once you lay forward it goes faster and faster depending on the force you put towards the device. The Segway is used by consumers, business, law enforcement/security and robotics mobility platform. This device is considered a “green transportation”. It is a battery powered electric vehicle. They are driven by electric motors and can reach a speed of 12.5 miles/hour. The Segway PT has “electric motors that are powered by Valence Technology, a phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries, which can be charged from household current. It balances with the help of dual computers that run proprietary software, two tilt sensors and five gyroscopic sensors developed by BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre.” (“Wikipedia”, 2014) This is one of the best inventions and a little bit different from what he developed. Mostly of his inventions were for medical use but the Segway PT can help conserve fuels that we waste by using cars.
Dean Kamen has received multiple awards for his inventions and his efforts. Kamen was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 2000, this award was for his advances made in medical care. He was also awarded Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002, and D. Kamen was also inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2005.
Sources:
http://www.dekaresearch.com/founder.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Kamen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_PT