3 ms·
This is why the Segway annoys me so much. Dean Kamen has an amazing ability to create things that restore great dignity to those who have had unfortunate event
by mdasen 17y ago
This is why the Segway annoys me so much. Dean Kamen has an amazing ability to create things that restore great dignity to those who have had unfortunate events remove certain biological function. The iBOT, for those who don't know what it was, was a gyroscopic wheelchair that could go up curbs of up to 5 inches, climb stairs, and even allow the person to travel and "stand" at a height comparable to the height of a standing human being. The amount of dignity and function that it enabled was tremendous. Likewise, this new prosthesis looks amazing. Truly a wonderful thing for anyone in such an unfortunate situation. While somewhat odd looking today, I don't think it's hard to imagine it with some flesh-toned cloth over it (or better material) which really helps one both look and function and fit in well.
And that's what annoys me about the segway. Kamen has such a great engineering mind for things that so greatly affect a person's quality of life - truly life-changing inventions for many people. And then there's the segway. The segway doesn't seem to solve any problem - people have legs, there are a number of ways to balance vehicles that don't need something so fancy to stabilize themselves (bikes, scooters, mopeds), etc. And it takes his genius away from building amazing things like this which can transform people's lives in the way I wish I could help and touch someone as much as he can.
The part where the person was able to feed himself for the first time in 13 years made me tear up. Imagine being able to give that back to someone who had lost it. And it isn't just the function - it's the dignity that comes along with it.
- pingu 17y agoI think I'm missing your point about "dignity". As per your sentiment , we should all be doing whatever we can to restore dignity to those that need it.If you ask that of Kamen , you should certainly ask for it from yourself. You are presumably reading this on a computer you own , and drive to work on a car you own. You can increase the dignity of a number of people by selling both and donating the proceeds to a worthwhile charity. ( I can think of few things more dignified , than say , for a starving kid in India to be able to go to bed with a full stomach for one night). And charities like giveindia.org make this very possible ... And yet you haven't ... You might argue that there is no way you could do without either. How is Kamen's "indulgence" in building a Segway any different? The starving people would be annoyed with you too,as you indulge yourself with luxuries like cars and computers , when they have to debase themselves just to feed themselves and their families. (No offence intended. :) When I say "you" , I mean us )
- camccann 17y agoYou are presumably reading this on a computer you own , and drive to work on a car you own. You can increase the dignity of a number of people by selling both and donating the proceeds to a worthwhile charity. ( I can think of few things more dignified , than say , for a starving kid in India to be able to go to bed with a full stomach for one night). And charities like giveindia.org make this very possible ... Remember the old saying, "give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for life"? You're talking about the former. Kamen's inventions that mdasen mentions are like the latter. Not that helping people out isn't good, but creating tools that let them help themselves is incomparably better. Kamen has demonstrated an ability to do that in ways that most people just can't.
- apsurd 17y agostop wishing, start doing.
- zach 17y agoThe Segway was his shot at a mass market in order to get mass-market profits and propel his work to the next level of public significance and relevance. It's a frequently-criticized but expected pattern that you obscured by failing to use the term of art, "sell out."