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Tina Khanna
Today's the day. After the hype surrounding it for almost all of this year, inventor Dean Kamen's secret invention -- codenamed 'Ginger' -- was unveiled on Sunday.
It can be a bird, some speculated, or a three-wheeled skateboard, or a solar-powered hovercraft. But whatever, it was, anything with as much money involved (a publisher reportedly paid Kamen a $250,000 advance for a book about the invention in January) had to be huge. Some have even gone on record to say it's going to be bigger than the Internet!
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For those still in the dark, here's a quick FAQ.
Q. Who is Dean Kamen?
A. An inventor. Which implies that the guy invents stuff. He has, to his credit, a heart stent, portable insulin pumps, a wind turbine to help supply power, pulley system that can deliver a bottle of wine from the kitchen to the bedroom, and the iBot, a wheelchair that climbs stairs. He also the President of DEKA Research and Development Corp., and runs his own charity called FIRST(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to encourage up and coming inventors.
Q. I just got back from the Himalayas. What exactly is Ginger?
A. The story begins in January, 2001, when Inside.com first mentioned it. The site created a page called the 'IT' files, saying that Project Ginger was to be the subject of a forthcoming book. Kamen refused to supply details, and the big guessing game began.
Ginger could be a motorised scooter powered by an energy saving, environmentally friendly Stirling engine. But nothing as mundane would prompt Steve Jobs, Chief Executive, Apple, to predict that cities will be built around it. Nothing as ordinary would induce Credit Suisse First Boston to say it expected Ginger to make more money than any start-up in history.
There have been rumours, polls, contests and even spoofs. Is it a 'personal mobility vehicle' that can carry people up stairs and over irregular surfaces? Does it really take just ten minutes to assemble? Will it cost less than $2,000?
Q. Does Kamen warrant such attention?
A. Yup. Thanks to his record, he does. The man won the 2000 National Medal for Technology, and his every move over the past couple of months has been carefully scrutinised. He has said that the project is promising but not earth-shattering, but not many believe that.
Whatever it is, it's time to find out. Will Ginger change your life and mine? Read this to find out.
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