| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Dean Kamen | ||||
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Kamen is one of those rare inventor-entrepreneur-visionaries of a generation, like Buckminster Fuller of the the previous, who uses his mental genius for good, despite a world not always ready to receive. His Slingshot is a good example; it's a water purifying system that is portable, ecologically friendly and miraculous, able to literally turn urine, dirty puddles and who-knows-what-else into drinking water, with minimal energy requirements. It can literally transform the developing world. Unfortunately, our short-term, profit-motivated mindset derails this kind of innovation (alas, there ain't much money in it), so no wide distribution. Yet. Check out this video for more on the Slingshot.
The more you learn about Kamen (and please share what you know), the more he looms like a character from Marvel Comics, commandeering a grand fortress of a company (I believe an island, jets and helicopters are involved). After years of financial success and accumulated, cutting-edge technical resources, he is able to focus on world-changing innovations like few others, uniquely positioned to take on projects and requests he wants to pursue. Let's hope he doesn't get lured to dark side like the outrageously wealthy, power-thirsty inventors Super/Spider/Batman often battles.
For now, his company Deka Research and Development continues to take on pressing problems of our time, particularly those involving solar energy and water. As an inventor, Kamen holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for innovative medical devices that have expanded the frontiers of health care worldwide. He is the founder of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a program that includes the greatest student robot competition of our time, which will take place in just seven days in front of more than 50,000 fans at Atlanta's Georgia Dome. May the Creative Force continue to be with him.