Dean Kamen holds more than 150

patents on revolutionary inventions

ranging from portable dialysis machines Levi’s, Kamen wasted little time in getting things to sophisticated mobility devices to highly started: “You know how a slide rule works?” he efficient and compact Stirling engines. In ad- asked without context or warning. I sheepishly dition to numerous honorary degrees, Kamen confessed that I didn’t. “Slide rules were a bit has received such honors as the Lemelson-MIT before my time,” I said. Clearly dissatisfied with Prize, Heinz Award, Kilby Award, and the National my response, Kamen sprang from his chair and Medal of Technology. A tireless advocate for quickly located a six-foot slide rule lying against science and technology education, Kamen a wall in his office. He then proceeded to show founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition me how to use this giant slide rule to perform all of Science and Technology) to encourage kids manner of calculations, simple and complex, and to pursue careers as scientists and engineers, frequently inserted commentary on the design as well as to reset societal values so that people elements that made the slide rule work. Kamen aspire to be thinkers and inventors. “Our culture was never condescending or mean-spirited dur-celebrates one thing: sports heroes,” he says. ing what turned out to be a 30-minute unsolic- “You have teenagers thinking they’re going to ited exposition on slide rules. His explanation make millions as NBA stars when that’s not real- had the enthusiasm that you have the first time istic for even one percent of them. Becoming you learn something new and want to share it a scientist or an engineer is.” with others, though this was surely an explana-

Armed with a crack photographer and an tion he had given hundreds of times. Suffice it iPod recorder running iPodLinux (see MAKE 02, to say that I now have a deep and unanticipated page 135), I met with Kamen at his company in appreciation of slide rules.

Manchester, N.H., and at his home in Bedford, Much of the interview went this way. I came in N.H. His company, DEKA Research and Develop- a skeptic of the Segway. I left exploring financing ment Corp. (DEKA from DEan KAmen) is located options for the new cross-country model. Can a in a series of renovated mill buildings on the Stirling engine really save the world? I came in shore of the Merrimack River. The buildings are thinking the notion ridiculous. Now I am tinker-simple and nondescript on the outside, revealing ing with Stirling engine models. One thing is for little about the kind of work that goes on inside. certain: Kamen’s unique mix of world-saving The interior, by contrast, is dot-com office meets idealism and inventive genius makes for a very Monster Garage. It is a casual environment addictive confection. adorned with tools and technology, testaments to past and present inventions, and a wide vari- It is said that Edison embraced enlightened trial ety of exceptional artwork created by Kamen’s and error to achieve the majority of his break- father, one of the legendary EC comic book throughs, whereas his contemporary Nikola Tesla artists, Jack Kamen. After a few hours at DEKA, worked through everything in his head before get- we moved to his home, called West Wind. Built ting his hands dirty in the shop. How would you around an 87,000-pound steam engine once characterize your approach to innovation relative owned by Henry Ford, West Wind is as much to Edison and Tesla? homage to innovation as it is a living-work space.

Designed and built by Kamen in 1997, West Wind Unfortunately, I would put myself closer to the features multiple workshops, an extensive library, Edison end of the continuum: the tinkerer, the helicopter hangar, and a sufficient number of get-your-hands-dirty and keep-screwing-with-it-interesting gadgets and gizmos to qualify it as a ^{sort of technology museum.} Dressed in his customary cotton work shirt and >>