Pee Filter Runs on Poo: Dean Kamen Offers Solution to Water Needs

So people should buy his product for big bucks when they could just as easily get a still for making bootleg booze and do the same thing?

Although he didn't say it, P.T Barnum said it best. But the real question is: Who is the bigger fool, the fool or the fool that follows him/her?

Yee gods, do a smidgen of research before shooting off your mouth, will ya? The Segway was in no was a "belly flop". It was targeted at corporate and government customers, and has been a resounding success. The fact that other people in the media somehow thought this was supposed to be a huge consumer hit is irrelevant to the REALITY of the business model Kamen had for it.

And, to even mildly cast dispersions his way in your smug little post is the height of arrogance and stupidity, seeing as how nothing he has invented has been anything less than what he said it would be.

Grow up.

I have read and heard about this for many year, And Its time. From a fellow inventor to another Great Job.

First steps toward stillsuits! Will it fly? In "developed" countries, probably only if you aren't told where the water comes from. If it can be made cheaply enough though this would be extremely helpful in water deprived areas. Like California. Or Burning Man. ;)

I'm only half kidding, if anyone were to use them in the US those are two prime places they might fly.

And yeah, Kamen is on the right side of the line between genius and insanity for now. His mechanical arm is nothing short of spectacle.

Assuming we survive Peak Oil, assuming we survive Global Warming, we'll have to survive the growing scarcity of fresh water.

It's idiotic to cast aspersions, therefore, Frankie boy, on people like this guy, who appears to be on to something huge. Your children will very likely be extraordinarily grateful that Kamen existed and invented and created.

Question. What have you done, Frankie boy, for this planet? Seems like you do nothing but run your mouth, which probably has you parched.

Want a glass of water?

And the amazing thing is that it is constructed entirely out of fingernail clippings, hair, dead skin, earwax and snot, making full use of human waste.

I first saw this in March on the Colbert Report. Great Idea...

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/164485/march-20-2008/dean-kamen

The name of the engine is Stirling, after Reverend Dr Robert Stirling who made the first practical hot air engine in 1818.

"What have you done, Frankie boy, for this planet?"

Why is this relevant? You have to do something for the planet to be able to post critical comments here? Do people who do more for the planet write better, more worthy comments? Is smoking bad for your health only if a non-smoker tells you?

Karsten

I've been wondering about this for a while: what happens to the waste that is filtered out? I'm a painter and would love to someday have something that will filter all of the terps and chemical/mineral solids out of the water I use to wash my brushes. Ultimately don't you still have to dispose of the waste?

Karsten,

Frank's post was scurrilous at best. How could you be so dim as to not see that? Get a clue before allowing your fingers to run away with themselves.

Kamen seems really remarkable. He is a renegade and inventing things that will better our lives and the planet. I am a fan and have nothing but appreciation for the work he does and his ideas.

Will it run on human waste as well? The average person is responsible for 100-200kg of poop per year. I wonder if a village's excrement contains enough energy that it could be treated and burned to provide the necessary 450 watts of heat to turn pee into drinkable water.

Michael, thanks for the comments. "Stirling" ... yeah. I knew there was something wrong about "Sterling Engine", but I couldn't put my finger on it.

As for the notes on materials used in construction, you make it sound just like Paris Hilton, now that I think about it. Only this time with some utility.

@ Jaymi (author)

Who in the world said that the Segway did a belly flop? I have one of the commuter models, and it rocks!!

and furthermore, please tell us how you came to the conclusion that this new machine that Kamen has built is too good to be true? Do you think vapor compression distillation is too good to be true? Or is it the fact that the machine uses dung?

This machine is an excellent device especially to be used in countries where agriculture is the main source of income like India (my home country). We've been using dung as fuel in rural areas for eons. I don't know exactly how Kamen harnesses the power from it to boil water and start the VCD process, but it's like this tech was custom made for us!!

another cool invention! here's to hoping for more cool and helpful tech!

This guy is surely a God of Lateral Thinking"!

So does it just boil the water? Is it a secret technology

The technology goes far beyond the items mentioned above (a still for example). According to Kamen, the Slingshot will purify any substance that is wet - no matter how toxic. OK I would assume this would not apply to radioactivity but if it applies to water simply tainted with things like Benzene or other toxics associated with Oil drilling and refining it would do a lot for folks living in areas like western Nigeria.

It also does not require filters or other "consumables" that tend to drive up the long-term cost of items "similar" to this, produced for the consumer market.

I wish that the folks at DEKA were more forthcoming about the current status of production. It would seem that a loan to an entrepreneur to put these into production would be an ideal piece of a Green Stimulus package. If we could assure that production occurred in the USA it would be a big plus. The last information that we have regarding the Slingshot is that Kamen has been joined by Iqbal Quadir, the founder of Grameen Phone, the largest cell phone company in Bangladesh, who envisions production happening in Bangladesh or some other developing country.

We don't oppose production in some other place - as long as it happens. But if funding comes from a stimulus package the job creation should benefit US citizens.

See more information about this at: http://Greenerminds,blogspot.com

Hmmm how much would this way estimate 100-200 pounds?

Kamen is sacrificing a "normal" personal life for the betterment of mankind. What motivates him is certainly complex (like everyone) but a major part of it is certainly to help the citizens of the world. I welcome technical discussion but personal attacks reveal the personality of the attacker and nothing of the attacked.

Folks have seen the enormous potential of the Sterling Engine since it's inception in 1816 and subsequent fall from grace. Kamen too, sees it's potential and has joined those ranks - but his skills and tenacity, and those of his team, just might tap that potential in new and extremely creative ways.
I will stay tuned.

Ref the Segway. It is/was a technical success and wonder. The fact that government bureaucrats can't adapt and that big big business treats the Segway as a threat attributes more to Kamen's success than to a hint of failure from a marketing standpoint or anything else. He did his part quite well - beyond well.

Lastly, without studying it closely and drawing out the concept, I don't know for sure - but I have a hunch the Slingshot is using hydrolysis. Yes. Just like hundreds of HHO enthusiasts all over. This is logical because he would be breaking down the dirty water back into it's chemical state. Where it's different from HHO is where he converts it back from hydrogen and oxygen into the liquid form -pure water. Hah - no filtration in the conventional sense of purifying water is needed! He is again adapting previously discovered technologies and applying them in unique, creative, and innovative ways.

The comment about what he does with his waste is an interesting one. Could he have found a way to address that too? Could he be breaking all matter that enters into the chamber back into their natural state?

Go Dean Go Man. But take some time to smell the roses. The world doesn't rest on your shoulders entirely!

Don Johnson