Dean Kamen on The Colbert Report (April 5th, 2010)

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by Bill_B

If we don't fill the dome this year, perhaps by the time we get back to Atlanta (2014?) the teams may be big enough to do it. Dean's homework notwithstanding, it's hard enough to get attendance at a 3-hour baseball game but impossible without beer. So 8 hours of mechanical mayhem without alcohol will be a real tough sell to non-relatives of the participants. Sorry, Dean, it will be easier to make those 150 pound machines fly than to fill the Georgia Dome. Unless of course someone dares to play the trump card - cheerleaders!

LOL!

But I completely agree with you. It is very hard to fill an event that runs two days for hours. Expos are full with people coming in and checking out the event and then leaving. I even can't wait until the last match some days I'm tired and done watching robots.

It is a good idea and we can all definitely work on getting the stands fuller, but a full house might just be out of reach for a long long time.

[Nawaid Ladak]

Originally Posted by BrendanB

LOL!

But I completely agree with you. It is very hard to fill an event that runs two days for hours. Expos are full with people coming in and checking out the event and then leaving. I even can't wait until the last match some days I'm tired and done watching robots.

It is a good idea and we can all definitely work on getting the stands fuller, but a full house might just be out of reach for a long long time.

if we could get them to come for the Einstein Finals.... I've seen the 100's and 200's fill up on the Einstein side. hopefully this year, we can get the 300's filled.... that is if Security lets us

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by Nawaid Ladak

if we could get them to come for the Einstein Finals.... I've seen the 100's and 200's fill up on the Einstein side. hopefully this year, we can get the 300's filled.... that is if Security lets us

That is mostly because everyone comes to see that though! But it is true that we could get a ton of people in there for the finals for a couple of hours!

[sircedric4]

Originally Posted by BrendanB

That is mostly because everyone comes to see that though! But it is true that we could get a ton of people in there for the finals for a couple of hours!

You might have a chance at getting people in for Einstein finals if you can keep the award ceremony stuff from dragging the energy down. For those that haven't been there, the award ceremony is when all the speaking and FIRST messages happen.

That stuff is very good for the students that are involved but would just irritate uninvolved people that came to see robots play. Of the 2 hour Einstein finale there is maybe 20 minutes of actual robot play.

[Isaac501]

http://www.colbertnation.com/full-ep...010-dean-kamen

That's the link to last night's episode. Fully awesome!!!

[sircedric4]

Originally Posted by Isaac501

http://www.colbertnation.com/full-ep...010-dean-kamen

That's the link to last night's episode. Fully awesome!!!

It starts after the third white increment and timestamp 16:06 if you don't want to sit through the whole show and it's extra long web commercials.

[Akash Rastogi]

If anyone can make a real lightsaber....its gotta be Dean and DEKA

[synth3tk]

lol, I'm two hours late to posting the link. But yes, visit the link Isaac501 posted.

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by sircedric4

It starts after the third white increment and timestamp 16:06 if you don't want to sit through the whole show and it's extra long web commercials.

What do you mean "don't want to sit through the whole show"? The Colbert Report rocks!

[ras103]

That man could pick up a grape AND use chopsticks. Dean is amazing, denim and all! Also, he presented himself so well, this was a great outlet to spread the word about FIRST and robotics. Good Job Dean, and Colbert for that matter, high five!

[DinerKid]

It was an awesome interview. I have to say, CHOPSTICKS i was in aw. It was hilarious when Dean was talking and the arm twitches and he looked at the arm nervously. It reminded me a little bit of the guy from Spiderman with the robotics arms.

~DK

[qzrrbz]

OK -- time to ask the obligatory engineering question! How the heck was he *controlling* that thing??? :-)

He had a series of objects strung across his back (one would think battery and cRio :-) ), but where are the fine motor control input devices? And for a double version of this arm, wow... How is the wearer to control that?

That, to me, was the neatest part of the interview! The "how the ... is he doing this" part!

[qzrrbz]

OK^2

After reviewing the tape again a few times, it is beautifully subtle. He has "something" in his real left hand. Reminds me of a ventriloquist a bit - the dummy/arm commands your attention, and his lips/fingers barely move while he talks/articulates the arm.

Beautiful.

But, I'm still wondering about control for a pair of these!

[DonRotolo]

From an article I read somewhere recently (I think IEEE Spectrum magazine) the control system uses the wearer's actual nerve impulses for control.

Amputees generally have "phantom limb syndrome", where they can still "feel" their missing limb. Doctors find the nerve endings , connect to them electrically, and have the wearer move their "limb" - "bend at the elbow a little. Now a lot", and so on. They map the electrical impulses they get from the nerves to arm functions...and the wearer controls the arm with the same thoughts/impulses as they used to with their real limb.

Makes me want to get into biomedical engineering. The problems in human interfacing, noise management and amplification are fascinating, the arm mechanicals themselves notwithstanding.

I had one class in Biomedical - it was interesting, but a 3-credit undergrad elective barely scratched the surface (and, it was 30 years ago...). Wish I had the finances to change careers. (Maybe in my spare time in the basement?)

[Radical Pi]

Originally Posted by qzrrbz

OK -- time to ask the obligatory engineering question! How the heck was he *controlling* that thing??? :-)

He had a series of objects strung across his back (one would think battery and cRio :-) ), but where are the fine motor control input devices? And for a double version of this arm, wow... How is the wearer to control that?

That, to me, was the neatest part of the interview! The "how the ... is he doing this" part!

According to a 60 minutes piece on the arm, there are sensors in the shoe for controlling it, but it is a year old so I wouldn't be surprised if they got to nerve control by now