I would bet anything that Kamen already has another lab version of this (2/4 wheels) that goes up stairs and curbs just like his 6-wheel iBot. This one could probably go strait off a curb, and through small potholes, but that's it.
Any low-tech three wheel design would be a total mess with curbs, potholes, etc. And of course it could never navigate stairs.
He's already patented it, I've seen the filings. It uses two "wheels", one on each side. Each "wheel" is a triangular affair, with a wheel on each corner. It rides along normally with one wheel (on each side) on the ground, and climbs stairs by rotating the entire "wheel" assembly. I think there are some ATV designs that use a similar concept, but with a four rather than two wheel design.