A secretive new invention is in development, that could possibly revolutionize lifestyles and ideas around the world. The upcoming invention has been compared to the Internet and cold fusion.
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com; Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers and John Doerr, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, have all been rumored to have invested millions in the project.
However, no one knows exactly what the invention is. Its inventor, Dean Kamen, has remained extremely quiet and hard at work in his home in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Because of the mystery, the project, which has been dubbed "IT" and "Ginger," has sparked the curiosity of professionals, the media and people everywhere.
Dean Kamen, 49-year-old engineer/physicist/inventor, is the man behind "IT." Kamen has won the Hoover Medal and America's National Medal of Technology. Kamen also started DEKA Research and Development Corporation, AutoSyringe, Inc. and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition for Science and Technology).
Kamen holds over 100 patents and is credited with inventing the portable insulin pump, the type of heart stent used by Vice President Dick Cheney and the "Freedom 3000 iBot," a wheelchair that can climb stairs and raise its occupant to standing height. The iBot, which is currently undergoing FDA testing, uses an anti-tipping mechanism Kamen patented in 1996.
Very little has been disclosed about "IT," and Kamen has been reluctant to talk with the media. Kamen shed a little light on "IT" in a statement saying that it's "an alternative to products that are dirty, expensive, sometimes dangerous and often frustrating, especially for people in the city." Kamen continued to say "IT" will also impact "some billion-dollar old line companies."
Bezos, who has been rumored to have seen "IT," stated that Kamen has a "product so revolutionary, you'll have no problem selling it."
A statement issued from DEKA, Kamen's company, said the invention would "profoundly affect our environment and the way people live worldwide."
These vague statements have done nothing but trigger a guessing-game as to what "IT" could be and what "IT" could involve.
DEKA Products, with Kamen credited as the inventor, received a patent from the World Intellectual Property Organization for an invention in June of 1999.
The patent (number WO 00/75001 A1), entitled "Personal Mobility Vehicles and Methods," claims the device is "a class of transportation vehicles for carrying an individual over ground having a surface that may be irregular."
Also, the patent includes a drawing of a girl riding some sort of scooter. Whether this rendering is "IT" or just another one of Kamen's many patents is still unsure.
"IT" is also rumored to be able to fit into one large duffel bag, be assembled with a screwdriver, cost under $2000 and will be available in the year 2002.
According to an article in Wired, reporter Michelle Delio speculates that a Stirling engine, whose prototype was patented in 1816 by Robert Stirling, may be involved.
A paper by William Beale, entitled "Understanding Stirling Engines" and published in association with Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA), states Stirling engines are "external combustion engines that use air or other gases as working fluid. They can burn any solid or liquid fuel as their heat source."
Beale said because "some types of Stirling engines are so simple to make and yet so effective, they are excellent choices for power generation in developing countries."
An efficient, inexpensive and mass-produced Stirling engine could eliminate need for petroleum.
"A Stirling engine can run on anything that burns," said William Janna, associate dean of engineering at The University of Memphis. "It could run on corn oil, alcohol, perfume -- anything hydrogen-based."
"It would be a miracle if he [Kamen] can make an efficient Stirling engine," said Janna, who recalled a Stirling engine he experimented with in college that couldn't pump water, "and I wish him every good fortune."
Edward Perry, a mechanical engineering professor, said an efficient Stirling engine would be "two to three times more efficient than the automobile."
Jeff Tyson and Kevin Bonsor, writers for How Stuff Works, state in an article an "efficient Stirling engine that could be mass produced at an affordable price would certainly be a major breakthrough."
Despite all the guessing, Harvard Business School Press has paid $250,000 for the rights to publish a book about "IT." The book will be written by Steve Kemper, who has written for National Geographic and Smithsonian.
Amazon.com is also involved in "IT." Users may submit an e-mail address at Amazon.com to receive notification of what exactly "IT" is as soon as the project is unveiled. Amazon also supplies a "Ginger Discussion Board," which has 155 members, for users to post their opinions on the matter.
There is also a website, www.theitquestion.com, which is completely dedicated to keeping up with the project and speculating on what "IT" might be.
