Dean Kamen does it again at TED

[Sabre]

Engadget article

Segway inventor Dean Kamen just stole the show at TEDMED 2010, with both a far-reaching lecture on how technology can save the developing world, and a peek at his latest projects. We'll spare you the wave of guilt for now and get right to the cool stuff, like the latest rendition of his Luke prosthetic arm and Slingshot water machine. Dean admitted he's having difficulty finding companies interested in manufacturing the former, but it's looking snazzier than when it last grabbed Stephen Colbert, with components like this shoulder piece printed out of titanium in a custom 3D printer, and it's slated to look like this. The Slingshot's seeing even more action, as Dean and company have pulled it out of the ugly box into these svelte tubes, and finally has a distribution deal (with Coca-Cola, of all companies) to bring the clean-water-from-any-source machines to developing countries in trials early next year.

Last but not least, the man's got a product you might be able to afford for your home. In the quest for an item for his FIRST young engineers to sell -- a la Girl Scout cookies -- he tapped LED manufacturer Cree to produce an 450 lumen light bulb that draws just 7 watts and will retail for about $25 door-to-door. In case you're wondering, that's cheaper and more efficient than most any lamp we've seen before. Dean says they've already produced several hundred thousand of the bulbs thanks to a surprise $3 million investment from Google, and plan to have them in the hands of every FIRST kid soon. Keep on fighting the good fight, Dean.

The guys out of box thinking and elegant solutions are really impressing me. I can't believe he's having a hard time finding investors... then again, they are probably just looking at the $$$. Sadly, providing clean water to the masses isn't a profit making venture... but it sure as hell is a human kind venture.

[complacent]

I think I shared a google reader link to a story about his TED talk.

amazing, amazing work. he keeps coming up with cooler ways to help people. absolutely love it!

[zaxrex]

Greedy bastards should understand that more living people = larger potential customer base.

[Sabre]

I think I shared a google reader link to a story about his TED talk.

amazing, amazing work. he keeps coming up with cooler ways to help people. absolutely love it!

I thought I had seen the link somewhere! Sorry for double posting then

[complacent]

I thought I had seen the link somewhere! Sorry for double posting then

I don't think I actually posted it here. I think I only shared it as one of my private google reader items. i meant to say you beat me to it.

[Mr Kleen]

I can't believe he's having a hard time finding investors... then again, they are probably just looking at the $$$.

Isn't that what investors do?

very cool stuff.

[Sabre]

Sometimes investors should invest in human kind instead of cold hard cash is what I meant