Posted on 04/23/2002 1:25:46 AM PDT by 2Trievers
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Meanwhile, the former president of Subaru of America Inc., George Muller, has been named president of the company that makes the Segway, also known as “Ginger.”
The Lemelson-MIT award, given annually, was bestowed in recognition of Kamen’s development of the self-balancing scooter and of an infusion pump that has allowed diabetics to lead more normal lives. Kamen, owner of DEKA Research & Development Corp. in Manchester, N.H., holds more than 150 patents.
“He is a true genius. His commitment to bettering the lives of people is intense, and his inventions keep getting more remarkable,” said former Baxter International Chairman Vernon Loucks Jr., who nominated Kamen.
Kamen will receive the world’s largest single award for invention and innovation at the Museum of Modern Art tomorrow in San Francisco.
He was on his way to the West Coast last night after returning this weekend from the Far East. There, he met with officials in China, Taiwan and Singapore regarding the Segway. As with states here at home, Kamen hopes to persuade foreign governments to treat the Segway as a pedestrian device rather than as another form of vehicle.
Muller will work on finding new commercial uses and establishing distribution channels for Segway when he becomes president of the company that makes the device May 1.
“We look forward to having George’s hands-on leadership, creativity and transportation market insights at the company,” said Kamen.
Kamen was an undergraduate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute when he responded to the repeated complaints of his brother, a doctor, by developing the infusion pump.
In 1999, Kamen developed a wheelchair that can climb stairs and stand upright on two wheels, using sensors, gyroscopes and computers to constantly adjust and balance itself.
The same technology supplied the underpinning for his Segway Human Transporter, which was unveiled with great fanfare — and some skepticism — in December.
Ruth Rogan Benerito, 86, will also be honored tomorrow with Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award.
The retired Tulane Medical School professor and U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher helped introduce easy-care cotton after World War II, when wrinkle-proof synthetics were gaining prominence.
Previous recipients of the Lemelson-MIT Program, established in 1994 by inventor Jerome H. Lemelson and his wife, Dorothy, include artificial-intelligence pioneer Raymond Kurzweil and Douglas Englebart, who developed the computer mouse.
After receiving his award, Kamen will head to Orlando, Fla., for the annual FIRST robotics competition at Disney’s Epcot Center.
Kamen will present to FIRST, which he founded, a check for more than $260,000, the proceeds from the recent online auction of three Segways.
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