The Observer, October 21, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8
IBOT inventor Dean Kamen speaks to packed Strosacker
On most occasions, Friday on the Case Quad is filled with tired and ready-to-go-home students who head back to the dorms right after their last class. But on Friday, Oct. 14, the Case Quad held large numbers of undergraduate and graduate students, professors, administrators, and even some high school students in front of Strosacker auditorium. They were all waiting for the Dean Kamen lecture, part of the Distinguished Visiting Professor Lecture series endowed by Allen H. Ford.
Dean Kamen, however, has never really been a professor in the usual sense; he is an inventor. Kamen's most famous invention thus far may have been the Segway. But that's just the tip of the iceberg: he has 150 U.S. and foreign patents, with inventions including the Baxter HomeChoice peritoneal dialysis machine, the Crown Stent designed for Johnson and Johnson, and the IBOT, which is a personal transporter that can climb stairs and raise a disabled person to eye-level with a standing person.
Having sold his first company (AutoSyringe, Inc.) at the age of 30, Kamen is currently the founder of DEKA Research and Development Corporation. The company is responsible for developing internal inventions and providing R&D for major corporations. He has also won several prestigious awards, including the National Medal of technology in 2000 and the Lemelson-MIT prize.
Kamen arrived outside of Strosacker on his IBOT, wearing jeans and a denim shirt, and rolled up through the auditorium and onto the stage. There wasn't a single empty seat in the auditorium. President Hundert, remarking that Kamen is not a stereotypical inventor with wild hair and Coke-bottle glasses, introduced the renowned inventor.
Organized by "Rules of Reality" and interspersed with quotes by famous scientists and philosophers, Kamen's lecture focused on how to achieve success through invention and innovation in today's technological world. "I think there's a major difference between invention and innovation," Kamen said. "People invent things and gadgets all the time, but the innovations are what drives a society forward and what could be applied to help people on a daily basis. Innovations are extremely tough to come by because there's no definite schedule for anything. You can't expect a miracle when things are going badly, when your business is failing, and your opportunity cost is skyrocketing."
In the words of Winston Churchill, Kamen offered his first piece of advice to students. "When you feel like you're going through hell, keep going." Kamen also pointed out that he did not like the rigidity of schedules. "It's impossible to set a schedule for yourself to come up with a bright idea at 9 o'clock in the morning," Kamen said.
Throughout the lecture, Kamen narrated several personal anecdotes of his various projects and shared his experiences with the audience. One of those stories was an account of how the Crown Stent idea arose. Instead of going to biologists and the usual biomedical engineers for help, Kamen and his team went to people who designed helicopters since they are the ones who understand the stress and strain of materials. Kamen credited the developmnt of the Crown Stent to the help of two helicopter engineers.
According to Kamen, knowing where to look for help is important and knowing how to conceal your sources is even more important. In the words of Pablo Picasso, "Good artists borrow. Great artists steal," Kamen said.
Towards the end of the lecture, Kamen advocated more science and engineering education for American high school students. "There are about a billion more kids around the world who study so much more than the ones in this country," Kamen said.
He also gave the statistic that India and China are producing about seven times more engineers than the United States. In an effort to encourage more science and engineering to students, Kamen founded the FIRST robotics competition.
After the lecture, a reception was held in Nord Hall in Kamen's honor. According to senior Noah Berland, "I thought this was one of best lectures Case had since I've been here."
