Kamen is not alone in his quest. He's been joined by Iqbal Quadir, the founder of Grameen Phone, the largest cell phone company in Bangladesh. Last year, Quadir took prototypes of Kamen's power machines to two villages in his home country for a six-month field trial. That trial, which ended last September, sold Quadir on the technology.
"Not required are engineers, pipelines, epidemiologists, or microbiologists," says Kamen. "You don't need any -ologists. You don't need any building permits, bribery, or bureaucracies."
Kamen's goal is to produce machines that cost $1,000 to $2,000 each. That's a far cry from the $100,000 that each hand-machined prototype cost to build.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/16/technology/business2_futureboy0216/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Kamen
Note: http://money.cnn.com/20...
http://en.wikipedia.org...
How To Bring Electricity And Clean Water Anywhere.
Posted on Friday, February 17 at 13:34 by drcalebContributed By
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Fixed.
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"I think it's important to always carry enough technology to restart civilization, should it be necessary." Mark Tilden
To think that electricity will bring them freedom and democracy is lunatic. Of all the people on earth, maybe those without electricity might be the ones with freedom and democracy in their own tribes.
Looks to me like this is only another name (or package) to fuel cell technology working on methane. More greenhouse gas emission... don't they ever heard of solar power or wait until those guys at the University of Toronto manufacture their "infrared" photocell... that will change things. But then again... have we asked those people if they really want electricity... we should really explain to them what it will really return from this. I am sure they don't need to see Bush's face on TV...
As far as the other one... there are plenty of membrane technologies available (especially in India) but since it comes from an American... it must be better. The membrane technology works, it is cheaper and does not need electricity.
The "developped" countries should defend and protect such people against the American Corporates.
You couldn't be more wrong. Read the Wiki on Dean Kamen.
Light is very important. It lets you read. It lets you be social. Mr. Kamen wants nothing more than to improve the quality of people's lives. His motivation for developing the Segway was so that parts for it's predecessor, the iBot (wheelchair), would be cheaper.
Removing the kleptocracy and graft of public officials is what the third world needs. Light and clean water are only means to this end.
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"I think it's important to always carry enough technology to restart civilization, should it be necessary." Mark Tilden
I would think they would in Medical facilities. Perhaps communication systems for emergencies or pumps for deep wells. Even homesteaders have needs for electricity.
We forced our "way of life" on natives and what good has it done... they are being killed my morbid diabete.
There are tribes in the world that up until now have never known technology and they were nevertheless very happy in THEIR lifestyle. What makes you believe people that our lifestyle is the best and should be imposed on everyone on this planet?
As with the natives and other tribes in the Amazone forest, our lifestyle has destroyed theirs... what is so great about our lifestyle? It might work for us because we don't know better but it is our lifestyle that is destroying this planet. Which is better then? Tell me...
It's easy to become skeptical about people's motives and even though Kamen may have the most pure of intentions there are the "others" na na, na na, na na. He is opening the door that some of us are starting to question whether it was the best one for all of us to be entering.
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"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche
Electricity has traditionally been the first step in idustrialization, but just because these so called impoverished people don't have factories belching smoke from towers or paved streets with a 7-11 on one corner and an all night liquor store on the other doesn't mean they need or want that.
Just look at nearly every discussion on this site to find evidence of it. Most of us are speaking out in one way or another against all that we have created in our industrialized world - pollution, corruption, crime, violence, and so on. We live in an artificial world. Many of us go through the bulk of our lives without being able to see any part of nature and we tend to loose perspective. How many city dwellers stop to think that at any given moment the only place they can look to see any part of nature is up, but they don't dare because the depleted ozone makes that dangerous?
Nifty inventions to be sure, but maybe the market should be cottage coutry where people go to "get away from it all" yet having electricity is handy because we don't really know how to survive without it.
It's a common theme in the media about the poor living conditions in sub-sahara Africa. One thing this Iqbal Quadir fella has done is make 'micro loans' available for Indian villiagers so they can buy a cell phone. So this enterprising villiager runs around selling phone time to others, and pays for the phone that way. In the process, he earns enough to feed the family, and the families situation improves.
What Mr. Kamen is trying to do is make a cheap source of clean water and electricity available for the same reasons. Villiagers can now perhaps run a sewing machine to sell some wares to earn a little income to feed their family. Perhaps a villiage will have enough income now to build some sort of infrastructure so that human waste isn't running down the street. No one is forcing the modern world on anyone. If they want it, it's available, affordable and there are people willing to help them get it.
It's the same sort of situation that brought South Koreans from dirt farmers living in mud huts to a world economic power in the last 50 years.
Since Dean Kamen is one of my personal heros, I have little doubt as to his intentions. If anyone doubts them, go to the Wiki above and click on FIRST. His basic philosophy is 'why do we revere professional athlets, politicians etc, when they aren't the ones who directly affect our lives? Pay more attention to the scientists, engineers, physicists that actually do!' Through the FIRST robotic competitions, that what he's teaching the younglings.
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"I think it's important to always carry enough technology to restart civilization, should it be necessary." Mark Tilden
Thank you! I lost track of this guy years ago. He is a "free-thinker" and not tied to the "rules". Personaly I have faith in him as well. I would still like to see the Stirling Engine come to success and believe if can be done, Kamen is the man to do it.
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Expect little from life and get more from it.