Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Green Daily, USA
Dean Kamen going mad in seclusion?
Dean Kamen and his inventions are often mentioned on these here pages, probably most often for the creation he is arguably best known for, the Segway. More recently, the inventor has begun tackling vehicles with twice the number of wheels. Using a Stirling external combustion engine to help generate electricity that powers secondary systems and can recharge the battery, Kamen's DEKA Revolt is based on an old Ford Th!nk electric car and can reportedly travel about 60 miles on a single charge of its lithium ion battery. If you happened to live on your own island, as Kamen does, that distance would always be plenty. In fact, Kamen considers himself Lord Dumpling, head, as it were, of the three acre North Dumpling Island that he calls home. He's planning to run again for the head-position next year, and we're pretty sure he's a lock considering he's both the only candidate and the only voter. That island was recently cut-off the grid by the powers-that-be, which miffed Kamen a bit, as you might imagine. The good thing is that the inventor took the opportunity to make the entire country of Dumpling energy independent. Kamen's past inventions are proving handy, with electric Segways the most-used method of transportation, a custom water filtration system to clean the water and a methane-powered Stirling engine just for added coolness. We don't want to know where the methane is from.
[Source: Yahoo News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike 7:57PM (11/24/2008)
What is this post even about?
Just that you think Kamen is foolish or something?
I guess that his how he got so wealthy, from being a fool.
Oh, wait.. that is right, regardless of what some think of the segway - he is rich because he is an incredibly successful inventor.
How silly of him.
- m
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 8:55PM (11/24/2008)
Mike, nobody is suggesting that Kamen is a fool, far from it. The purpose of the post was to highlight what the inventor is doing these days and how it's green related.
The title was nothing more than a joke referring to his "running for office" on an island that has a single inhabitant... himself. That's pretty weird, no?
gulags 8:06PM (11/24/2008)
Howard Hughes, he ain't.
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John 10:32PM (11/24/2008)
He's rich and brilliant and all, but he needs a girlfriend is what their saying.
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Nick 12:33AM (11/25/2008)
Jeremy,
Kamen has a great sense of humor, the whole dumpling thing is a joke. It shows that he can make fun of himself. I don't think that makes him weird, maybe just funny :)
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Waldo Hitcher 1:47AM (11/25/2008)
He can be as eccentric as he likes. Another 1,000 more Kamen's and a million less Korzeniewski's and the planet could support the 6 billion without waking up hungry.
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 2:49AM (11/25/2008)
Or a million less Hitcher's I assume?
The Dumpling thing is a joke, I know. So's the headline.
rob 7:28AM (11/25/2008)
Ok, ok, I get it. He's doing cool things.
But what I really would like to know is "Does an external combustion system like the Stirling engine have more or less emissions per unit of energy generated than other energy sources?" The IC engine in my car has quite a few measures to control the emissions while my wood burning stove does not.
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