

Segway inventor on future technology – and why videogames aren't it - emontero1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jul/22/dean-kamen-interview

======
jacquesm
Dean Kamen has a track record that is typical of any serial inventor, some
hits, lots of misses. He sometimes is way ahead of the curve and manages to
get it right, most of the times it goes nowhere.

Still, he's better off than most of us and he's living proof that inventors
don't need to die penniless.

Whatever he's saying, there is always some little gem in there that you
probably hadn't thought of. The world is a -much- better place with him in it,
an interesting and productive person and with a reasonably nice personality.

Truely an original and inspiring figure for anybody that likes to invent
things or that dreams of improving the world.

Here is a picture of his house by the way, I've never seen anything quite like
it:

[http://farm1.static.flickr.com/55/119467546_72bf35b18c.jpg?v...](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/55/119467546_72bf35b18c.jpg?v=0)

~~~
locopati
That looks sustainable. I applaud what he's done but also wonder how "owns two
jets, two helicopters and a private island" fits with deep concerns about
sustainability. Mind you, I'm sure on the balance he's still ahead when it
comes to giving back more than he's taken.

~~~
jacquesm
That's a good point. I think that very few people actually practice what they
preach.

The way in which society rewards successful people is to give them lots of
money, I suspect that the real equation is not just whether you've given back
during your life more than what you have taken but how much you will have
influenced the world for the worse or the better in the long term.

In that sense it is a lot harder to figure out how much a single individual
can change things.

Two jets, two helicopters and an island sound a bit over the top, but I think
I'd have to know more about the uses they're being put to before I'd make a
call on that.

------
anigbrowl
I made a lot of DK jokes after the Segway came out - I thought it was a
solution in search of a problem, and its high price made it an expensive toy
more than anything else. But I was impressed with his water purification
machine last year, and I share his frustration* with much of our technological
effort and spend going towards frivolous things.

* while recognizing that some of this stems from not being able to make even more money :)

Article ended just when it was starting to get interesting though.

~~~
bcl
His water purification system is really amazing. You would think that all of
the 'help save the worlds poor' non-profits would be jumping all over it.
Here's the Wired article from last year on it -
<http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/03/colbert-and-kam/>

~~~
ars
Here's why: <http://www.appropedia.org/Slingshot_water_purifier>

It costs WAY WAY too much. He "hopes" to get it below $2000, which means right
now it's more than that. And after you read the $/L estimate, add in the cost
of fuel and you'll see the device is not cost effective (when compared to
other devices that do the same thing).

According to here: [http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/powered-by-cow-dung-
slingshot...](http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/powered-by-cow-dung-slingshot-
renders-potable-water/) the system cost is $5200.

~~~
10ren
It would come down in cost with economies of scale, and improved production
techniques, and... in 20 years, it would be out of patent.

I think there is a moral dilemma when someone creates something immensely
valuable, but wants to be paid for it. But... wouldn't a world in which people
didn't get paid quickly become rotten? And is it any different from people
needing money for life-saving surgery (because the surgeons, hospitals and
suppliers all want to be paid). See also the pied piper.

Factual content: there's a camping device for purifying water with ultraviolet
light <http://www.steripen.com/> but it just kills things, and won't remove
salt or arsenic.

~~~
nazgulnarsil
how is it superior to simple bleach based purification?
[http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/better-than-bleach-
us...](http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/better-than-bleach-use-calcium-
hypochlorite-to-disinfect-water/)

------
hooande
I think Kamen is wrong for dismissing a video game (or any kind of software
project) as frivolity. I'm not sure that giving a water purifier to a starving
village is necessarily "better" than a video game that provides millions of
people with a few hours of entertainment every day. I tend to be wary of
people who rush to grab the moral high ground.

I think it's noble that he choose to dedicate his genius to helping people,
but there's no need to belittle the work of others.

~~~
kingkawn
Video games are entertainment, but not the only kind and so not themselves
essential. Water is the only water.

There is an actual value scale here for people, and belittling or denying it
shouldn't be part of choosing to be a game maker.

------
ars
Is it me or is he basically saying: no one wants to spend the money to buy my
products?

He talks about global changes and stuff, but he prices his things too high. I
really wanted, and could have used, a segway - but I took one look at the
price and just laughed.

I don't know how much the slingshot costs, but I bet he wants tons of money
for it.

He is great at making stuff. He's great at selling (as in convincing) people.
He's terrible at selling (as in moving product).

He needs someone to act as a reality check, AKA market research person.

~~~
jacquesm
The segway was a 'miss' pricewise and there are lots of other things wrong
with it, but it is hardly the only thing Dean Kamen invented, chances are you
know someone that uses his main invention (the 0 contact dialysis pump)
regularly.

The segway would have certainly sold more if the price had been lower, I
thought that given the parts in it it should not have cost more than an
electric bicycle but I think it is fine for him to charge for it whatever he
wants.

The market proved to him that it was too expensive, and that puts it right up
there with the Sinclair C5 (another one of those characters).

I'm sure that lessons were learned.

Phenomenal pre-launch buzz around the segway by the way.

~~~
Retric
"The day we made the first Segway, the very first one, we drew pictures of
enclosed ones. Going back and tweaking things to make them 5% better or 3%
cheaper? There are whole industries who know how to do that very well. Our
position is been there, done that, did it, _changed the world,_ move on."

He does not seem to understand that cost is the number one factor for all
inventions. An immortality pill that costs 2trillion is not going to sell to
anyone.

------
mlinsey
_"More than ever, the world needs good engineers. However, the pool of talent
is shrinking not growing."_

 _That's not all. According to Kamen: "Today's children are the first
generation in which it is highly probable that their average quality of life,
and education level, will be less than it was for their parents."_

Are both of these statements really true worldwide? (I can see how they might
be true in the United States, although I think the latter is too pessimistic
even then)

~~~
jacquesm
Average quality of life could do with some definition.

It's a pretty broad statement. If it means getting a solid education I'm with
Kamen, if it means having access to information then I don't. If it means
getting food on the table then the jury is still out. It's hard to make such
statements without further qualification.

------
biohacker42
_In order to put them in volume production, you need a well-defined market and
a distribution strategy_

Dean's frustrations with the realpolitik of the world are somewhat surprising.

A man of his intellect should have understood a long time ago that broken
states are not going to be fixed by technology. But I suppose he's also a
great idealist and that would color his view of the world.

The bottom line is no matter how great your technology for clean water or dung
powered engines is, it can't fix a broken state run by thugs and criminals.

Truly fixing the world is much harder then building sterling engines. But it
is possible. The proper reaction is not to get frustrated but to change
strategies.

Dean is smart and while he may not be as experienced with 3rd world politics
as he is with technology, his wealth and intellect could make a GREAT
difference IF he truly looked at realpolitiks as an engineering challenge,
rather then get frustrated and discouraged by it.

~~~
jacquesm
Technologists can have all kinds of disconnects from how things really work,
when you're good at fixing and inventing machinery the temptation is to view
everything as a machine and to 'fix' it in some way.

The worlds problems are not going to be solved by a single individual, no
matter how gifted, but you can't fault a guy for trying.

------
solson
I respect Dean Kamen's intelligence and creativity, but it appears to me he is
trying to solve problems that may not exist. His frustration stems for this
idea that he needs to create a "sustainable" world. What if he is wrong? What
if the world is "sustainable" without his inventions? I agree with his premise
that there is too little long term planning, but long term vision is more
educated guessing than science. Look back in history and see how wrong many of
the predictions have been, especially ones of doom and gloom.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Population_Bomb> While things are far from
perfect and could be improved, the sky isn't likely to fall.

------
pchristensen
"In order to put them in volume production, you need a well-defined market and
a distribution strategy. The problem is that most of our commercial partners -
even the giants - do not do a lot of business in the underdeveloped parts of
the world. This is not a shortage of technology. It's a shortage of courage,
vision, awareness: a lot of human things."

Social and business processes are a technology in need of inventing too. The
creativity behind Grameen Bank, Kiva, DonorsChoose, etc is just as important
as the tech behind his Slingshot and motor.

I love Kamen but right now he sounds like a whiny engineer wondering why the
world isn't beating a path to his door. The job isn't over once the technology
exists.

------
speek
With his track record, I would hardly be willing to take his advice about the
future.

