'Ginger' Inventor Downplays 'Greatest High-Tech Invention'
Monday January 15 01:36 PM EST
By Tim McDonald, newsfactor.com
The rumor that has captivated the imagination of the high-tech world -- an imminent invention greater than
the personal computer or the Internet that will change mankind forever -- may be some form of a
mechanized scooter, according to a patent that has surfaced recently.
The man responsible for the mysterious invention, code-named "Ginger" and "IT," broke his silence to
quell the wild rumors, which he said have been exaggerated.
"We have a promising project, but nothing of the earth-shattering nature that people are conjuring up,"
inventor Dean Kamen said in a statement released late Friday.
Invention to 'Sweep World'
The rumors started when an online news site published a story concerning a book proposal made by
journalist Steve Kemper to the Harvard Business Press. The article said the book was to be based on the
eccentric Kamen and an invention of great social and economic significance.
Kemper has had access to Kamen and to engineers at Kamen's company for the last year and a half. The
project drew superlatives from high-tech leaders like Amazon.com chief Jeff Bezos and Apple's Steve
Jobs, as well as renowned Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr, among others.
Kemper, who claimed in the proposal that the invention would "sweep over the world and change lives,
cities and ways of thinking," was to be paid US$250,000, but neither the editor nor the writer's agent knew
what the invention was, the article said.
Alternative to What?
"Ginger" is to be a mass market consumer product that allegedly will not be revealed until 2002. It
supposedly can be assembled in 10 minutes and costs less than $2,000.
The article reported that one of the investors in the project claimed "Ginger" would make more money in
its first year than any startup in history, and would make Kamen wealthier than Bill Gates in five years.
Jobs was quoted as saying, "If enough people see the machine, you won't have to convince them to
architect cities around it. It'll just happen."
In the article, Kamen proclaimed that his invention "will profoundly affect our environment and the way
people live worldwide. It will be an alternative to products that are dirty, expensive, sometimes dangerous
and often frustrating, especially for people in the cities."
'Wearable Car'?
The story sparked intrigue in a sagging high-tech industry looking for up-beat stories, and major news
organizations speculated on the nature of the invention. The Washington Post, for example, guessed it may
be a "wearable car."
Although he has received a lot of press, Kamen said in his statement that the leak was unfortunate.
"The leaked proposal quoted several prominent technology leaders out of context, without their doubts,
risks, and maybes included," Kamen said. "This, together with spirited speculation about the unknown,
has led to expectations that are beyond the merely whimsical."
Kamen did not elaborate on the project in the statement, but a patent application filed with the World
Intellectual Property Organization's International Bureau in mid-December provides possible clues.
The application lists Kamen's company, DEKA Reseach, as the applicant and Kamen as the inventor, but
does not name the product or list it by its two nicknames. The application contains drawings of different
types of motorized scooters.
Highest Tech Medal
Kamen is a physicist, engineer and inventor who holds more than 100 U.S. patents. He has made millions
of dollars with a long list of inventions, the most well-known of which are a wheelchair that climbs stairs
and a portable insulin pump.
His firm, based in New Hampshire, specializes in advanced medical equipment technology. Kamen was
recently awarded the National Medal of Technology, the highest honor of its kind in the U.S.
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