“Cars are great for going long distances,” Kamen says, “but it makes no sense at all for people in cities to use a 4,000-lb. piece of metal to haul their 150-lb. asses around town.”
I really doubt that this quote came from Kamen. This is probably some journalist adding some stuff. He is smart enough not to say this nation wide.
Anyway for “IT” I was a little disappointed because I thought that he would introduce his new revolutionary engine that would end the fossil fuel age. But instead, IT runs on batteries. So basically it is $3,000 stripped downed iBot. I am sorry but for a max speed of 17 mph and a max distance about 20 miles it was definitely over-hyped. Good for the city I suppose, but not what I was hopping for. But hey maybe when the time comes next year he will increase the speed and the distance, and maybe add his hydrogen engine.
It will be interesting to see how Dean’s “human transporter” gains acceptance. From a couple articles I have read, the following is apparent:
The machine is electric.
“Average” speed is 8 mph and range is about 15 miles.
The machine is intended for use on sidewalks.
It is a gyro balancing machine and is controlled by intuitive
leaning forward and backward, etc. for steering.
The “footprint” of the machine with rider is about the same as
that of a pedestrian.
Yes, it will be interesting to see if people and municipalities will accept a motor-driven device on sidewalks, and if tripling the speed of pedestrians will change our way of getting around in cities. I think that is Dean’s plan.
I can see him saying that. He’s pretty blunt; he tells it like he sees it.
When I read that quote I chuckled cause I saw a comment like that coming.
If it wasn’t what he said, I’m sorry to him for thinking it’s something he would say… but I can definitely see him saying that and think he did
It’s not all that crude… and it’s completely true. Try going to a place like Bangkok some time (never been, my SD prof loves to tell the stories of it though)
Segway will do wonders for those places if people start using them and cars are thus taken off the streets in urban centers…
And maybe it was ‘over-hyped’ in terms of it’s capabilites… and maybe that’s because to us the technology of the iBot is old hat… but it’s still pretty amazing if you take a step but and look…
and don’t just look at the technology of it… look at the implication of what it can do for the environment alone…
Many cities around the world could benefit a lot with some type of electric personal use vehicle.
My exposure to such a city was in Shanghai about 7 years ago. There were a lot of bicycles, but also a lot of mopeds and small scooters with 2 stroke engines. Zillions of 2 stroke engines result in nasty air. For street use, a conventional Razz-size scooter but battery powered would be great in many cities with lots of people and warm weather. They would be simple and relatively cheap to make. Segway machines would take a lot less parking space, but for now and well into the future would be much more expensive.
Of course, Dean’s vision for Segway is sidewalk use in places where the 4000 pound trucks he referred to in his (possible) quote make the use of his machine on the street very scary.
I think Segway would really do wonders for those cities, and it would keep the Taj Mahal whiter. There’s only one problem… $$$cash money$$$. Many of the cities which could use Segway the most are also lacking in the ability to buy them. The cities may have money but there are many poor people who live in them and won’t be able to shell out the dough.
When I read the Time article, I was a little surprised myself at the quote. Personally, I don’t think that Kamen said it. Remember at Nationals last year when he came out on stage to appoligize about the music video? The same kind of guy would not use the term “lazy ■■■■■” on the record, or at least IMHO.
~Tom Fairchild~, who thinks that IT really isn’t all that inovative, its the hype that makes it special and might push it into common use.
I think you can trust if Time magazine printed the quote, then Dean really said it.
I’m rather shocked that a man who owns a humvee and 2 helicopters could possibly accuse anyone else of being environmentally irresponsible. I respect DK as much as anyone, but he has no right to be pointing fingers at urban car drivers.
I might trust a media type if they had it on tape and the tape was then examined by an unbiased qualified expert who could tesitify in court that the tape was Dean’s voice and undoctored. With digital editing widely available, that is harder than ever.
Dean’s alleged comment contained no accusation other than an implication derived from his supposed use of an out of fashion word for a donkey. If the quote had used the word “body” instead it would have been a mere statement of an engineering fact. That it is very wasteful to require two tons of metal to move around 150 lbs.
I regularly move 200 lbs a distance similar to the intended range of the Segway using a 26 lb vehicle. I do this in a time frame similar to the one a 4000 lb vehicle would require. Obviously my 26 pounder is more efficient, but it does have other drawbacks, like I require a shower to present a professional appearance after I reach my destination. Fortunately for me, my employer has shower facilities, so this is not too big a drawback.
Dean’s point is that what is currently a necessity is absurd from an engineer’s point of view. Actually he was probably being conservative (or pointing at himself?) by using 150lbs, I think on average the public weighs more than that.
Helicopters and Humvees are vehicles designed for specific purposes. Using a helicopter to commute from Dean’s house to downtown Manchester NH, every day would probably be wasteful, but if Dean does that I haven’t heard about it. Using the Humvee in the summer might be too. But which is more environmentally friendly, Hiring a big snowplow to clear your very long driveway every time a few flakes fall and possibly needing to salt it as well to keep it clear of ice, or having a vehicle that you can just drive out after most snowfalls?
*Originally posted by Vin211 *
**Why you even post something like that? That’s an insult. Next time only post something if you’re positively absolutely positive. **
I not posting this to smear Kamen, I posted this because I was mad at Time to include a quote like this. Yes, I know that Dean Kamen is candid. And he could of said it, but never on record. If at most, he could of said that with a couple of his friends, and an unscrupulous reporter just picked it up just to add flavor. I mean I say some profanity some times, I won’t lie. But I would never want that talk to be put into a quote where it would be announced to the national public. But hey you have to expect this, it is not going to be 100% excellent news, they are going to be bashers, especially in a national news event like this.
You’re obviously missing the point. Magazines will only print things that will sell and peak the interest of the readers. It all bull **** and you know it.
I just read the entire “Time” article, and one quote seemed to put Dean’s thoughts on transportation in good perspective. He said “I love cars too. Just not when I’m downtown.” I completely agree with that. I am single but have four cars, so I obviously I like cars, but if I go to Paris, the last thing I would do is rent a car. I use the subway and walk.
Dean is maybe being a bit hypocritical if he presents himself as an environmentalist while he flies a helicoptor to work and has a Humvee, but I understand that too. If I had his money, I would have toys that don’t make much sense. I wouldn’t have a Humvee, but I would probably have a Ferrari.
As far as the original quote posted, my guess is that he said it, but so what? Saying something including the word in question to a news magazine reporter and having it printed is not such a big deal IMHO. I don’t see there being much connection to the accidental showing of the videos in question at last year’s awards ceremony. The FIRST National is a school sponsored event, and while many, or most of those present might not have been offended by the videos, some would be, and Dean needed to apologize for their showing, even though he had nothing to do with it.
