10 facts about dean kamen biography
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Famed inventor and innovator of the insulin pump
Did you know?
Dean Kamen was born April 5, 1951, in Rockville Center, Long Island, New York
Key Fact:
Dean was showing signs of being very innovative from a young age. He claimed he was able to develop a way to make his bed without going to the other side when he was 5 years old.
Struggle:
Although Dean was very innovative, there was a slight problem. He had dyslexia and was extremely slow and outcast.
Struggle:
"I read physics," Kamen said. "I read math. Everybody has to read those slow. And I'm not as dyslexic with numbers and equations."
Did you know?
Dean holds around 440 patents today
Key Fact:
When Dean was still an undergrad at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, his brother (who was a cancer researcher) mentioned that patients who needed around-the-clock medicine had to come to the hospital every single time they needed another dose. This inspired one of Kamen's most successful innovations.
Success:
While still an undergrad Kamen created a medical device known as the infusion pump.
Key Fact:
The infusion pump is a mechanism that supplies medicine into the bloodstream so the patient doesn't have to continually return to a hospital for medication. This was the forerunner for the insulin pump.
Did you know?
Dean Kamen is also the inventor of the Segway.
This is the early version of the insulin pump that diabetics would constantly have to carry around.
Did you know?
Although the infusion pump was Dean's first major break, by the time he was a teenager he was already being paid for his inventions which were mainly built in his parents' basement.
Key Fact:
After creating the first infusion pump, Kamen went on to start his own company for production of them in . The company, AutoSyringe, made such a big splash in the medical community that Baxter International, a massive com
Dean Kamen, Renowned Inventor & Engineer: Transforming Care by Doing the Impossible
Dean Kamen: But we have hundreds of thousands of kids today, that would not be in the kinds of careers they’re in, that we need, had they not been exposed to technology and science via First.
Senator Bill Fr…: You’re listening to A Second Opinion, your trusted source engaging at the intersection of policy, medicine and innovation and rethinking American health.
Senator Bill Fr…: Dean Kamen, a friend with whom I’ve worked on global health issues for two decades, is a world renowned inventor and engineer, whose inventions have literally changed the way we live. In health, he invented the first drug infusion pump, now used and literally every hospital in America.
Senator Bill Fr…: He pioneered water purification systems, to deliver safe drinking water the world over. He holds the patents, which are making portable dialysis machines possible. For those with disabilities, his iBOT wheelchair crosses all terrain, including stairsteps.
Senator Bill Fr…: You will hear in our conversation, about the invention that he is most proud of, that will change millions of lives, and it’s not what you might expect.
Senator Bill Fr…: We are broadcasting from the Lake Nona Impact Forum in Lake Nona Medical City, Florida. Welcome to A Second Opinion. This is the second in a three part series on Innovation in Medicine and Health. I’m your host Senator Bill Frist, welcome to A Second Opinion.
Senator Bill Fr…: Let’s just start with, how your very first company was in the health field. We’ll come back and talk about some of them, but walk us through the role that your interventions have played in health, and health has played in the world of your inventions.
Dean Kamen: I started my first company when I was in high school. My o 1951 • Long Island, New York Inventor, entrepreneur AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. Dean Kamen is a leading American scientist and inventor whose products include the Segway human transporter (HT) and the iBOT battery-powered wheelchair. His numerous inventions include medical devices and futuristic gizmos that Kamen hopes will revolutionize the way we live and travel. Whenever Kamen introduces a new product, people take notice, and they eagerly anticipate the next one. His newest creation? A nonpolluting, low-power water-purifying system designed for use in underdeveloped countries. Time magazine called it one of the "coolest inventions of 2003." Dean Kamen was born in 1951, in Rockville Center, Long Island, New York. His father, Jack, was an illustrator for Weird Science and Mad comic books; his mother, Evelyn, was a teacher. Kamen began tinkering with gadgets when he was fairly young. He claims that when he was five years old he invented a way to make his bed without running from one side to the other. However, despite the fact that he was obviously bright and very curious, Kamen did not do well in school. His grades in junior high and high school were only average, and Kamen often found himself at odds with his teachers. This is an experience that many creative people seem to go through. For example, Thomas Edison (1847–1931), who developed the electric light bulb and the phonograph, attended school for a grand total of three months. His teachers considered him to be a slow learner. Instead Edison was taught by his mother at home, where he thrived, reading every book he could get his hands on. Like Edison, Kamen was (and still is) an avid reader of science texts. By the time he was a teenager, Kamen was being paid for his inventions, most of which he built in his parents' basement. He was hired by local roc Dean Kamen (born April 5, 1951) is an American engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur who is best known for his invention of the Segway PT, a self-balancing personal transporter scooter. He is also noted as a founder of the non-profit FIRST organization for advancing science and technology-dedicated education. Holding over 450 patents, Kamen has been called the “next Thomas Edison,” particularly for his life-changing inventions improving the mobility of persons with disabilities and treating illnesses ranging from diabetes to cancer. Dean Kamen was born on April 5, 1951 in Rockville Center, Long Island, New York. His father worked as a graphic artist for Weird Science, Mad, and other comic books, and his mother was a teacher. By his own account, he was a lackluster student, preferring to educate himself on advanced science and engineering topics outside of school. According to Kamen, he had created his first invention by age six: a pulley system that enabled him to make his bed without running from side-to-side. Kamen’s career as a professional inventor took off in his teenage years. While still in high school, he was asked to automate the annual New Year's Eve ball drop at Times Square. He designed sound and laser-light displays local rock bands and the Museum of the City of New
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