Story Archives of 'Dean Kamen'

As New Hampshire grows we’re learning more about the hazards facing water quantity, quality and infrastructure and are exploring new ways to combat them. Hydrologists, environmentalist, inventors, and water groups are working hard on this effort, thinking up new technologies, new ideas and new plans so we’ll have enough clean potable water for our future. We conclude our series by exploring the future of our state’s drinking water and what some in the state are doing about it.

We'll also get an update on the storms that hit New Hampshire yesterday.

Guests

• Harry Stewart, Water Division Director at the Department of Environmental Services
• Brian Goetz, consultant for Weston and Sampson, a Portsmouth-based water treatment and wastewater design and consulting company and current president of New Hampshire’s Water Works Association

We'll also hear from

• Gregg Champlin, Deputy Public Information Officer for the New Hampshire Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• Dean Kamen, founder and owner of DEKA Research and Development Corporation in Manchester; he has invented a water purification device called the Slingshot that can take any kind of polluted water and transfer it to potable water by using minimal energy
• David Paris, Water Supply Administrator for Manchester Water Works Water Treatment Plant
• John Edgar, Community Development Director for the town of Meredith

Twenty five years ago, self-taught physicist and entrepreneur Dean Kamen was just breaking ground on his new company DEKA Research in Manchester. His hopes were that DEKA would assist in building new technologies and question the conventional thinking of engineers and inventors. One quarter century later, and Dean Kamen's name has become synonymous with innovation and technology from the Segway to the Ibot transporter to his inventions on water purification. On top of his own creations, Kamen has been inspiring the next generation of Granite State technophiles for the last 18 years with his FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competitions. Kamen wants to elevate the leaders of robotics to a rock star or sports star status. "In 30 years", he says "This will be the sport". Today on the Exchange, we continue our 25 in 25 series with New Hampshire's inventor and innovator Dean Kamen and how he sees the world of technology has changed in the Granite State in the last quarter century.

Dean Kamen made national headlines when he released the Segway Human Transpoter two years ago, but he was known to New Hampshire residents long before that. Dean had previously invented a number of revolutionary medical devices like a portable dialysis machine, the world's first insulin pump for diabetics, and the I-BOT wheelchair which can climb stairs. Dean is also the founder of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) an organization which gets young people interested in science, engineering and invention. Dean talks about the future of the Segway, his passion for getting young people involved in science and his plans to bring water and electricity to the most remote areas of the developing world.

Today is shipping day for U.S. FIRST Robotics teams across the country. That means today is the day that more than 600teams of high school students must pack up the robots they've created and ship them off for inspection before regional competitions begin next month. "FIRST" stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." The program was created in New Hampshire to encourage student interest in engineering. NHPR's Doug MacPherson visited the FIRST team at Pinkerton Academy in Derry.

After almost a year of rumor and speculation, Dean Kamen unveiled his new personal transportaion device this week. The Segway Human Transporter is chock full of gyroscopes, batteries, and computers, all with one purpose: to bring one person from here to there with very little effort. Dean believes the Segway will spark a transformation in how we get around urban areas and lead to a much more environmentally friendly society. He talks about his invention and what might lie ahead. The Segway website is www.segway.com