Dean Kamen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dean Kamen
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Kamen at Whiteman Air Force Base on April 26, 2016
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Dean Lawrence Kamen
April 5, 1951 |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Invention of the iBot Wheelchair, the Segway and founder of FIRST North Dumpling Island |
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| Awards | Hoover Medal (1995) Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy and Employment (1999) |
Dean Lawrence Kamen (pronounced KAY-min; born April 5, 1951) is an American engineer, inventor, and businessman. He is famous for inventing the Segway and the iBOT wheelchair. He also started a non-profit group called FIRST. Dean Kamen holds over 1,000 patents, which are special rights for his inventions.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Dean Lawrence Kamen was born on April 5, 1951, on Long Island, New York. His father, Jack Kamen, was an illustrator for popular magazines like Mad and Weird Science.
Even as a teenager, Dean Kamen was already earning money for his ideas. Local bands and museums paid him to build light and sound systems. He was making a lot of money each year before he even finished high school. He went to Worcester Polytechnic Institute for college. However, he left before graduating in 1976 to focus on his own research. He spent five years working on a special insulin pump called AutoSyringe.
Career and Inventions
Dean Kamen is a very creative inventor. He has developed many devices that help people and solve problems.
The Segway and iBOT
Kamen is widely known for inventing the Segway PT. This is an electric, self-balancing scooter that uses special sensors called gyroscopes to stay upright. The Segway balances on two parallel wheels. You control it by shifting your body weight.
Before the Segway, Kamen was already a successful inventor. His company, Auto Syringe, made and sold the first drug infusion pump. This device helps deliver medicine to patients. His other company, DEKA, also created technology for portable dialysis machines. These machines help clean blood for people with kidney problems. DEKA also developed an insulin pump, which helps people with diabetes.
One of his most important inventions is the iBOT. This is an all-terrain electric wheelchair that can climb stairs and balance on two wheels. It uses many of the same balancing technologies found in the Segway.
Water Purification and Power
Dean Kamen has also worked a lot on Stirling engine designs. He wanted to create two machines using this technology. One machine would generate electricity. The other, called the Slingshot, would clean water. He hopes these inventions can improve life in developing countries. Kamen has a patent for his water purifier. In 2014, a film called SlingShot was released. It showed Kamen's efforts to use his water distiller to help solve the world's water crisis.
Other Innovations
Kamen also helped invent a device that uses compressed air. This device could launch people into the air. It was designed to quickly get SWAT teams or emergency workers onto the roofs of tall buildings.
In 2009, Kamen shared that his company, DEKA, was working on inventions powered by solar power.
Kamen and DEKA also created the DEKA Arm System, also known as the "Luke". This is a prosthetic arm that gives users much more control than older prosthetic limbs. It was approved for use in May 2014. DEKA is looking for partners to make many of these arms.
FIRST Organization
In 1989, Dean Kamen founded FIRST. This organization aims to get students excited about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
In 1992, working with Professor Woodie Flowers, Kamen created the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). This competition grew into an international event. By 2020, it had over 3,600 teams and more than 91,000 students participating.
FIRST organizes different robotics competitions for students from kindergarten to 12th grade:
- FIRST LEGO League Discover for ages 4–6.
- FIRST LEGO League Explore for younger elementary school students.
- FIRST LEGO League Challenge for older elementary and middle school students.
- FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) for middle and high school students.
- FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) for high school students.
In 2017, FIRST held its first Olympics-style competition, the FGC (FIRST Global Challenge), in Washington, D.C. In 2010, Kamen said that FIRST was the invention he was most proud of. He mentioned that 1 million students had taken part in the contests by then.
Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute
In 2017, Kamen founded the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI). He also launched BioFabUSA. This is a special institute focused on making engineered tissues and related technologies. It received a large grant from the Department of Defense. BioFabUSA's goal is to make it possible to create engineered tissues on a large scale. This will help existing industries and create new ones. Besides the government funding, Kamen brought together private companies. They promised an additional $214 million to support the project.
In early 2020, ARMI received another grant. This one was from the Department of Health and Human Services. It was to create the first Foundry for American Biotechnology, called NextFab. This foundry aims to develop new technologies to help the United States protect against health threats. It also works to improve daily medical care and grow the U.S. bioeconomy.
Awards and Recognition
Dean Kamen has received many awards for his inventions and his work.
- In 1997, he was chosen for the National Academy of Engineering. This was for inventing medical devices and for inspiring young people in engineering.
- In 1999, he received the Heinz Award for his work in technology.
- In 2000, he was given the National Medal of Technology by President Bill Clinton. This award recognized his inventions that improved medical care worldwide.
- In April 2002, Kamen won the Lemelson-MIT Prize for inventors. This was for his Segway and his insulin pump.
- In 2003, Time magazine named his "Project Slingshot" (the water purification system) as a runner-up for "coolest invention of 2003."
- In 2005, he was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his AutoSyringe invention.
- In 2006, the United Nations gave him the "Global Humanitarian Action Award."
- In 2007, he received the ASME Medal, the highest award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
- In 2011, Kamen was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering.
He has also received many honorary degrees from universities around the world. These include Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Kettering University, Clarkson University, University of Arizona, Wentworth Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, Bates College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Plymouth State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Yale University, and Université de Sherbrooke.
In 2013, he received the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award. In 2018, the National Science Board gave him the Public Service Award. This honored his great public service and his efforts to help people understand science and engineering.
Personal Life
Dean Kamen lives in a unique, hexagonal mansion called Westwind in Bedford, New Hampshire. His house has at least four levels and is full of interesting things. It has hallways that look like mine shafts, old-fashioned furniture, and a collection of vintage wheelchairs. There are also spiral staircases, a secret passage, and an observation tower.
His house also includes a fully equipped machine shop. A huge cast iron steam engine that once belonged to Henry Ford is built into the center of the house. Kamen is working to turn it into a Stirling engine-powered moving sculpture.
Kamen owns and flies several aircraft, including a jet and three Enstrom helicopters. He often flies his helicopters to work. He even has a hangar built into his house. In 2016, he flew as a passenger in a B-2 Spirit bomber. This was to mark the start of the 2016 FRC World Championship.
A book called Code Name Ginger: the Story Behind Segway and Dean Kamen's Quest to Invent a New World was written about him in 2003. His company, DEKA, creates amazing mechanical gifts for him every year. They have made a robotic chess player and a vintage-looking computer with an old typewriter as a keyboard. DEKA has also received funding to work on a brain-controlled prosthetic limb called the Luke Arm.
Dean Kamen is a member of the Advisory Board for the USA Science and Engineering Festival. He is also on the Board of Trustees for the X Prize Foundation. In 2010, he starred in a TV show called Dean of Invention on Planet Green. In the show, he explored new technologies.
See also
In Spanish: Dean Kamen para niños
- Insulin pump
- North Dumpling Island
- SlingShot
