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Incredible. When you see projects like that you look down at your Twitter/Facebook/Basecamp/iGoogle clone and feel just a wee bit pointless. You can get satisfaction from small things but one can wonder about doing meaningful things.
Kamen’s done some amazing stuff, and if profits from the two wheel three wheel scooter help fund this and walking wheelchairs, that’s great.
But I think the problem here might be production and, as noted essentially calibration to each individual. It’s a fantastic piece of technology, that may well be impossible to deploy in the kind of numbers (and rates) needed. Kamen’s own comments certainly recognize this, much to his credit.
I fear it’s really a technology ‘solution’ to one, or many non-technological problem.
Do you really think the same government that balked when getting body and vehicle armor and is now getting upset about sending vets to college are going to go around buying $100K+ arms?
Holy friggin’ crap! That is amazing. Can you imagine where they’ll be in 5-10 years?! It is really exciting. Thanks for sharing!
J30 May 08
Geel, Kamen invented the first insulin pump, a portable kidney dialysis machine, a heart stent, and the iBot transporter (the wheelchair) before he invented the Segway.
He’s improved the quality of life for so many people.
Many of his inventions had “production problems” before they were perfected. That’s invention. You have to crawl before you can walk.
God bless Dean Kamen for having the courage to crawl.
That little computer in front of you was once an impossible dream.
GeeIWonder30 May 08
@J Absolutely. I’m well aware of Kamen’s work, and agree with you too Don. As my partners and colleagues are all too aware, I dream big.
But there’s a long history of people finding nails everywhere while wielding a big technology hammer. It’s been used suggestively more than one to mollify the masses and soften the blow of otherwise unacceptable policies.
My ‘impossible dream’ for a society generating massive amounts of people with missing limbs doesn’t have much to do with technology.
cesar30 May 08
Dean Kamen is one the greatest minds in out times. people should look after him and care less about “celebrities”. He is the Man!
Classic engineering joke. ;) You get that stuff at the same store as frictionless surfaces.
Paul Clarkson31 May 08
That is amazing. Maybe next Kamen could start work on a mechanical soul to be implanted in the zombie corporate shill motherfuckers who start illegal wars and send decent people off to have their arms and legs blown off. You know, start at the root cause of the problem.
End is here01 Jun 08
How dangerous can this be. With electronic that we can so precisely control and yet can somehow lose control of it, will it signal the beginning of the machine war. I hope only sensible beings can hold of this arms and not those with angst. Or else god knows what evil they can do with it. If we lose control of the electronic, this thing can kill or hurt fresh and blood.
It’s striking.I am really impressed.Human’s dreams are turning into reality…
N02 Jun 08
If it’s made of unobtainium, it’s probably lubricated with elbow-grease – you can also get it at the store that Geel gets his frictionless surfaces from.
Scott Boone02 Jun 08
The most impressive thing about this video to me, even more so than the amazing technology, even more than Kamen’s enthusiasm (which brands him as a true innovator of the highest caliber), is the fact that as the video ends, Kamen’s eyes are welled up and red…the man was emotionally affected rewatching the events. That, my friends, is the kind of man Dean Kamen is, the kind that depressingly so few engineers can say they are.
GeeIWonder02 Jun 08
@Scott
kind that depressingly so few engineers can say they are.
First of all, saying you’re something and being it are completely different things.
Second of all, if you’re going to make sweeping statements about people based on job titles, professional designation, degree or I don’t what else you mean by engineers, you need to back it up with some reference.
This was a DARPA project with which Kamen is involved. The nerve regeneration work is derived from this guy’s work. There’s a lot of other good people (including, for instance, these guys) involved too.
I’m not sure where such an unfair view comes from, but it’s basically baloney in my experience.
Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, Sarah Hatter, Ryan Singer, Sam Stephenson, Jamie Dihiansan, and Michael Berger in Chicago, Matt Linderman in NYC, Mark Imbriaco in Wake Forest, North Carolina, Jeremy Kemper in Pasadena, California, Jeffrey Hardy in Vineland, Ontario, Joshua Sierles in Granada, Spain, Jason Zimdars in Oklahoma City, Craig Davey in Ottawa, Ontario, and Mr. Jamis Buck in Caldwell, Idaho.
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Over 1 million people use 37signals' simple web-based software to collaborate on projects, track contacts, and organize their business with an intranet.
25 comments so far
Don Schenck 30 May 08
Last night I watched a demo of Cisco’s holographic meeting system (amazing!), and today this.
Wow.
Thanks for this post, Jason.
Paul M. Watson 30 May 08
Incredible. When you see projects like that you look down at your Twitter/Facebook/Basecamp/iGoogle clone and feel just a wee bit pointless. You can get satisfaction from small things but one can wonder about doing meaningful things.
Walt Ribeiro 30 May 08
this is amazing
Mimo 30 May 08
The 6 Million Dollar man. Well. This is great.
GeeIWonder 30 May 08
Kamen’s done some amazing stuff, and if profits from the two wheel three wheel scooter help fund this and walking wheelchairs, that’s great.
But I think the problem here might be production and, as noted essentially calibration to each individual. It’s a fantastic piece of technology, that may well be impossible to deploy in the kind of numbers (and rates) needed. Kamen’s own comments certainly recognize this, much to his credit.
I fear it’s really a technology ‘solution’ to one, or many non-technological problem.
Do you really think the same government that balked when getting body and vehicle armor and is now getting upset about sending vets to college are going to go around buying $100K+ arms?
Daniel Holter 30 May 08
Wow, wow, wow. What a time to be alive!
Thanks for the video.
Matt Radel 30 May 08
Holy friggin’ crap! That is amazing. Can you imagine where they’ll be in 5-10 years?! It is really exciting. Thanks for sharing!
J 30 May 08
Geel, Kamen invented the first insulin pump, a portable kidney dialysis machine, a heart stent, and the iBot transporter (the wheelchair) before he invented the Segway.
He’s improved the quality of life for so many people.
Many of his inventions had “production problems” before they were perfected. That’s invention. You have to crawl before you can walk.
God bless Dean Kamen for having the courage to crawl.
Sarah 30 May 08
And next, The Terminator. Fantastic.
JF 30 May 08
And don’t forget Kamen’s Vapor Compression Distiller using the Sterling engine.
leethal 30 May 08
Truly awesome!
Don Schenck 30 May 08
@GeeIWonder: Think bigger, dream bigger. Don’t pigeonhole tomorrow’s thinking into today’s.
That little computer in front of you was once an impossible dream.
GeeIWonder 30 May 08
@J Absolutely. I’m well aware of Kamen’s work, and agree with you too Don. As my partners and colleagues are all too aware, I dream big.
But there’s a long history of people finding nails everywhere while wielding a big technology hammer. It’s been used suggestively more than one to mollify the masses and soften the blow of otherwise unacceptable policies.
My ‘impossible dream’ for a society generating massive amounts of people with missing limbs doesn’t have much to do with technology.
cesar 30 May 08
Dean Kamen is one the greatest minds in out times. people should look after him and care less about “celebrities”. He is the Man!
Peter Urban 30 May 08
Phenomenal.
someone 31 May 08
My jaw literally dropped at 3:09.
Anonymous Coward 31 May 08
ddfd
Ole Begemann 31 May 08
I”t’s made out of unobtainium” – LOL
GeeIWonder 31 May 08
Classic engineering joke. ;) You get that stuff at the same store as frictionless surfaces.
Paul Clarkson 31 May 08
That is amazing. Maybe next Kamen could start work on a mechanical soul to be implanted in the zombie corporate shill motherfuckers who start illegal wars and send decent people off to have their arms and legs blown off. You know, start at the root cause of the problem.
End is here 01 Jun 08
How dangerous can this be. With electronic that we can so precisely control and yet can somehow lose control of it, will it signal the beginning of the machine war. I hope only sensible beings can hold of this arms and not those with angst. Or else god knows what evil they can do with it. If we lose control of the electronic, this thing can kill or hurt fresh and blood.
Wise Owl 01 Jun 08
It’s striking.I am really impressed.Human’s dreams are turning into reality…
N 02 Jun 08
If it’s made of unobtainium, it’s probably lubricated with elbow-grease – you can also get it at the store that Geel gets his frictionless surfaces from.
Scott Boone 02 Jun 08
The most impressive thing about this video to me, even more so than the amazing technology, even more than Kamen’s enthusiasm (which brands him as a true innovator of the highest caliber), is the fact that as the video ends, Kamen’s eyes are welled up and red…the man was emotionally affected rewatching the events. That, my friends, is the kind of man Dean Kamen is, the kind that depressingly so few engineers can say they are.
GeeIWonder 02 Jun 08
@Scott kind that depressingly so few engineers can say they are.
First of all, saying you’re something and being it are completely different things.
Second of all, if you’re going to make sweeping statements about people based on job titles, professional designation, degree or I don’t what else you mean by engineers, you need to back it up with some reference.
This was a DARPA project with which Kamen is involved. The nerve regeneration work is derived from this guy’s work. There’s a lot of other good people (including, for instance, these guys) involved too.
I’m not sure where such an unfair view comes from, but it’s basically baloney in my experience.
Comments are closed