Dean Kamen: Why We Need More Scientists

Dean Kamen is a cross between Willy Wonka and Thomas Edison.

He’s a prodigious inventor who holds over 440 patents. He’s created portable dialysis machines and drug infusion devices and a wheelchair that can go up and down stairs. He’s working on a compressed-air-powered device that can launch people from the ground up onto roofs and new water-purification and power-generating systems that can be used in developing countries. He lives in a quirky hexagonal house of his own design, full of 1960s furniture, spiral staircases and antique machines and engines. He owns a private island called North Dumpling which has seceded from the United States. But he says his proudest invention is FIRST, an organization that inspires kids to pursue careers in science and technology.

Find out why being a scientist is not just crucial – but fun!