Dean Kamen Created the Segway and the New Inflatable Turbine
Omar Yusuf — October 10, 2011 — Eco
References: earthtechling & treehugger
After having invented the Segway, a novel but ultimately abandoned form of transportation, Dean Kamen went back to the drawing board and came back with the inflatable turbine, which is part-wind turbine and part-LED billboard.
The Segway may not have caught on, but it did do one thing: The upright scooter forced people to reevaluate the conventional transport mediums with a more scrutinous eye. By Dean Kamen's own admission, his most recent patent won't be a game-changer, but will force onlookers to rethink energy-producing methods. The inflatable turbine is a lightweight, portable device that allows users to easily relocate it to windier areas. It also includes a marketing element -- Small LEDs powered by the turbine can broadcast messages that include words, letters and even complex symbols!
Kamen may be onto something here: maybe their lack of advertising or money-making potential has held back green technologies? Time will only tell once this device starts deploying on rooftops near you.
The Segway may not have caught on, but it did do one thing: The upright scooter forced people to reevaluate the conventional transport mediums with a more scrutinous eye. By Dean Kamen's own admission, his most recent patent won't be a game-changer, but will force onlookers to rethink energy-producing methods. The inflatable turbine is a lightweight, portable device that allows users to easily relocate it to windier areas. It also includes a marketing element -- Small LEDs powered by the turbine can broadcast messages that include words, letters and even complex symbols!
Kamen may be onto something here: maybe their lack of advertising or money-making potential has held back green technologies? Time will only tell once this device starts deploying on rooftops near you.
Trend Themes
1. Alternative Energy Solutions - The inflatable turbine presents an innovative approach to energy production, potentially disrupting traditional methods.
2. Portable and Lightweight Technologies - The lightweight and portable design of the inflatable turbine opens up opportunities for easy relocation and installation in windier areas.
3. Integrated Advertising and Renewable Energy - The inclusion of small LEDs powered by the turbine offers a unique marketing element, combining renewable energy and advertising.
Industry Implications
1. Renewable Energy - The inflatable turbine has the potential to revolutionize the renewable energy industry with its portable and versatile design.
2. Outdoor Advertising - The integration of LEDs powered by the inflatable turbine creates new opportunities for innovative outdoor advertising strategies.
3. Transportation and Mobility - Drawing from the previous Segway invention, the inflatable turbine highlights the need for reevaluating transportation and mobility solutions, potentially leading to disruptive innovations in this industry.
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