[eraser2005]

Very interesting - I'll believe it when I see it, but the efficiency of Stirlings is closer to 80%, compared to 20-25% for a standard gas engine.

I hope they succeed...

[eraser2005]

Alternative energy ping!

[duhneece]

I love it when people don’t follow the corporate line and can create their vision.

[dawn53]

Same Dean Kamen that invented the Segway, I assume. He also invented a wheelchair that literally climbs stairs, only problem is it’s so expensive not many people can afford it.

[Paladin2]

The Segway was just slightly over hyped.

[CutePuppy]

I was excited by Stirling engine part of the Segway (expensive gyros left me cold, though cuteness of that was an actual selling point of Segway/Ginger) when Kamen came out with it.

Later I found why it's not the answer to our energy problems, and it is the "Law of Small Numbers" and Scalability. The problem with Stirling engine is that it's very far from 80% efficient, more likely closer to average of about 33%, and it's very difficult and expensive to adapt for work with larger devices, i.e. not very scalable.

That (and the expense) may be one of the reasons why Segway-HT/PT didn't capture much of the consumer market, mostly relying on government / military market. It is fascinating with small saucers and cups of water in school lab experiments, though.

[Constantine XIII]

Haha, that is sneaky.

[upchuck]

Dean Kamen also heads FIRST: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Wonderful organization.