Dean Kamen: Inventor of the Segway and Founder of FIRST

Some inventors are remembered for one device. Others are remembered for the way they keep changing direction without losing the thread.

In Kamen’s case, that thread is simple. Find a real problem, build a machine that can help, and then push it far enough that it can leave the lab and reach people.

That pattern shows up early in medicine, then reappears in mobility, and later expands into youth programs built to bring science and engineering to the center of public life.

Origins

Dean Kamen was born on April 5, 1951, in Rockville Centre, New York. His name later became linked to a certain kind of American engineering: bold, hands-on, and aimed at everyday use.

His public story begins in the early 1970s while he was an undergraduate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. In 1971, he invented a portable infusion pump, the first in a long line of patented work.

That invention was not framed as a distant science project. It was a tool for controlled drug delivery, built around the practical needs of patients and the people caring for them.

Turning point: The infusion pump (1971) set the direction. It tied his early work to medicine and to the idea that a small device can shift how care happens.

Early Growth

In 1976, after leaving college, he founded AutoSyringe, Inc. The company was built to manufacture and market the infusion pump he had invented as a student.

The move mattered because it changed the work from invention to production. The moment a device can be made, sold, and used outside a workshop, the stakes change.

AutoSyringe became tied to ambulatory infusion pumps. These systems were designed to deliver medication in precise doses, and they were positioned as a way to reduce the burden of constant injections for some patients.

In 1982, he sold AutoSyringe to Baxter International. That same year, he founded DEKA Research & Development Corp., building a new base for internally generated inventions and research work for major corporate clients.

DEKA’s work included a portable kidney dialysis machine described as weighing about 10 kilograms (22 pounds). The idea fit a theme that had already emerged: shrink the equipment, reduce the barriers, and move care closer to the person who needs it.

DEKA also developed the HomeChoice peritoneal dialysis system for Baxter International. The system was described as allowing patients to be dialyzed at home, and it was presented as becoming a worldwide market leader.

Turning point: Selling AutoSyringe (1982) and founding DEKA (1982) changed the scale of his work. It created a platform for long-term development across multiple fields, not just one device.

• 1976: AutoSyringe is founded to manufacture and market infusion pumps.
• 1982: AutoSyringe is sold to Baxter International; DEKA Research & Development is founded.
• Medical focus stays central: infusion technology, dialysis systems, and other healthcare-related devices remain a major thread in the work described across multiple institutional biographies.

Breakthrough

By the end of the 1990s, his work became widely associated with mobility and balance. In 1999, he introduced the iBOT, a device similar to a wheelchair that could climb stairs and stand upright on two wheels.

The iBOT mattered for what it tried to change. It aimed at obstacles that everyday environments place in front of wheelchair users, and it used gyroscopic stabilizers to do it.

That same balance approach helped lead to a more famous product. In December 2001, the Segway was unveiled, using gyroscopes, computer chips, and tilt sensors to move a standing rider.

Britannica describes the Segway as allowing passengers to travel up to about 20 km (12.5 miles) per hour. It was framed by its creator as a new way to get around cities, with claims that it could even reduce the need for automobiles.

The public reaction was mixed. Champions described it as a cleaner way to reduce traffic and raise productivity, while critics warned of collisions and injuries.

Still, the Segway quickly became part of popular culture. It also moved into niche markets, with specific models developed for law enforcement and golf courses by 2006.

Turning point: The iBOT (1999) was a technical bridge. It carried balance technology from mobility aids into a broader transportation product that became globally recognizable.

Turning point: The Segway unveiling (2001) shifted his public reputation. For many people, it became the shorthand for his career, even though his work had started in medical devices.

• 1999: iBOT is introduced as a stair-climbing mobility device that can stand upright on two wheels.
• December 3, 2001: Segway is unveiled as a self-balancing personal transporter.
• 2006: Segway models are developed for markets such as law enforcement and golf courses.

Challenges

Big ideas do not always land the way their creators expect. The Segway was introduced with very high expectations, including bold claims about how it could reshape city travel.

Yet even with attention and specialized models, the device did not achieve widespread popularity. In 2009, Kamen sold the company that made the Segway PT.

By 2020, production of the Segway ended, closing the chapter on the most famous commercial product tied to his name.

This is a key piece of the story because it shows a difference between invention and adoption. A machine can work, and still not become a common part of daily life.

It also shows why his career is not a straight line. When one headline product fades, other work continues in the background, often in less visible fields like healthcare and prosthetics.

Turning point: The end of Segway production (2020) reshaped the public story. It pushed attention back toward the broader career, where the deepest impact was often in medical technology and education.

• 2009: The company that made the Segway PT is sold.
• 2020: Production of the Segway ends.

Reinvention

Even as the Segway drew attention, his work kept moving into other areas. Britannica notes that in 2003 he introduced prototypes for an electric generator that could run on cow dung and a water purifier that could process raw sewage.

These devices were aimed at places without centralized power and water systems. Britannica reports they were field-tested in Bangladesh in 2005.

The through line remained the same: create tools that can work in real conditions, not just controlled ones.

In 2007, Britannica reports he debuted a robotic arm prosthesis capable of delicate tasks. That work later connects to a clearer regulatory milestone in official records.

In May 2014, FDA documentation reflects clearance for the DEKA Arm System, an upper-limb prosthesis intended to restore limb functions. DARPA program materials describe DEKA’s role in developing the system for DARPA and note FDA clearance in May 2014.

In other words, the story circles back to the same high-stakes space where he began: building devices that interact directly with human health and daily function.

Turning point: The prototypes for power and water systems (2003) showed a widening lens, moving from U.S. healthcare and mobility into global infrastructure needs.

Turning point: FDA clearance for the DEKA Arm System (2014) marks a hard proof point. It signals that advanced prosthetics work reached a formal threshold for real-world use.

• 2003: Prototypes are introduced for an electric generator and a water purifier intended for use where infrastructure is limited.
• 2005: These devices are reported as field-tested in Bangladesh.
• 2007: A robotic arm prosthesis is reported as debuted.
• 2014: FDA clearance is documented for the DEKA Arm System.

Where It Stands

His biography is not only a list of devices. It is also a story about building culture around science and engineering.

In 1989, he founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). FIRST describes itself as a global nonprofit robotics community with programs for ages 5–18 and reach in more than 100 countries.

FIRST also notes that to expand global impact, he created the FIRST Global Challenge, framed as an Olympics-style competition meant to plant a “seed in every country” for science and technology learning.

This part of the story matters because it reframes what impact can mean. The goal is not only the next device, but the next generation of people who want to build devices.

Institutional biographies also emphasize his long record of patenting and invention. Different sources describe the patent count in different ways, but they consistently point to a large portfolio across the U.S. and other countries.

Recognition followed that broad impact. He received the National Medal of Technology in 2000, was awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002, and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005.

Turning point: FIRST (1989) changed the story from product to movement. It positioned engineering as something young people could compete in, celebrate, and carry forward.

Turning point: The National Medal of Technology (2000) and later honors marked how institutions framed his work: medical care, inventive leadership, and education all in one career.

• 1989: FIRST is founded to spark interest in science and technology through hands-on programs and competition.
• FIRST expands internationally: FIRST describes reach in more than 100 countries through its K–12 programs.
• FIRST Global Challenge is created: described by FIRST as an Olympics-style competition to broaden global access to STEM.

Public Reputation And Legacy

Public attention often narrows a person to one symbol. For many, that symbol was the Segway, introduced in 2001 and discussed for years as a possible shift in city travel.

But institutional profiles put equal or greater weight on his medical work and his education work. They tie his inventions to advances in medical care and his leadership to a national youth organization built around robotics.

Seen that way, his legacy has multiple tracks: devices that changed parts of healthcare, mobility systems that pushed balance technology forward, and programs that helped normalize engineering as a team sport for young people.

There is also a lasting theme across the milestones. Each major phase links a technical idea to a larger system: a company that can produce it, a partner that can deploy it, or an organization that can spread the skills behind it.

That mix of invention, building, and public-facing advocacy is repeatedly emphasized across major biographies and institutional records tied to his career.

It is the reason his biography reads less like a single rise-and-fall narrative and more like a series of connected reinventions.

Controversies Or Disputes

Major reference biographies note debate around the Segway’s safety and around whether it could deliver on large expectations for city travel. These references frame the debate as a split between supporters who saw broad benefits and critics who warned of collisions and injuries.

Beyond that, the authoritative sources used here do not provide a consistent, detailed record of personal or legal controversies that can be responsibly expanded without adding outside material.

As a result, this section stays focused on documented public debate tied directly to the Segway’s adoption and use.

Timeline

This timeline follows the documented turning points that shaped his public career. Each entry highlights one milestone, using years when the sources provide them clearly.

The goal is not to cover every project. It is to show the main shifts: early medical invention, company-building, mobility breakthroughs, education work, and later prosthetics milestones.

Together, these entries show a career built around repeated transitions from idea to use.

1951

Born in Rockville Centre, New York.

1971

Invented a portable infusion pump while an undergraduate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

1976

Founded AutoSyringe, Inc. to manufacture and market the infusion pump.

1982

Sold AutoSyringe to Baxter International and founded DEKA Research & Development.

1986

Founded Science Education Encore (SEE) to promote science and engineering for young people.

1989

Founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).

1999

Introduced the iBOT, a stair-climbing mobility device that can stand upright on two wheels.

2000

Received the National Medal of Technology.

2001

Unveiled the Segway on December 3.

2002

Received the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize.

2003

Introduced prototypes for an electric generator and a water purifier intended for use where infrastructure is limited.

2005

Reported field-testing of the power and water devices in Bangladesh; inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

2007

Reported debut of a robotic arm prosthesis capable of delicate tasks.

2014

FDA clearance is documented for the DEKA Arm System upper-limb prosthesis.

2020

Production of the Segway ended.

FAQs

Who is Dean Kamen?
He is an American inventor known for work in medical devices and mobility systems. He is also the founder of FIRST, a robotics organization for young people. He created the Segway Personal Transporter.

When and where was Dean Kamen born?
He was born on April 5, 1951. Authoritative biographies list his birthplace as Rockville Centre, New York. That date and place are consistently presented in major reference sources.

Where did Dean Kamen go to school?
He studied as an undergraduate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. Major biographies also note that he later left college. Not reliably documented beyond that in the sources used here.

Did Dean Kamen graduate from college?
Major reference biographies state that he left college. The sources used here do not document a completed degree. Not reliably documented beyond his undergraduate study.

What was Dean Kamen’s first major invention?
A major reference biography credits him with inventing a portable infusion pump in 1971. Several institutional profiles also emphasize early infusion pump work while he was a student. This invention became the foundation for his first company.

What is AutoSyringe?
AutoSyringe was a medical device company he founded in 1976. It was created to manufacture and market infusion pump technology. A major reference biography states it was sold to Baxter International in 1982.

What is DEKA Research & Development?
DEKA Research & Development is the organization he founded in 1982. Institutional biographies describe it as a place for developing internally generated inventions and providing research and development work. He is identified as President of DEKA Research & Development Corp.

What is the HomeChoice system?
Institutional biographies describe HomeChoice as a peritoneal dialysis system developed by DEKA for Baxter. It is described as enabling dialysis at home. It is also presented as becoming a worldwide market leader.

What is the iBOT?
A major reference biography describes the iBOT as a mobility device similar to a wheelchair. It is described as being able to climb stairs and stand upright on two wheels. It was introduced in 1999.

What is the Segway?
A major reference biography describes the Segway as a motorized personal transporter using gyroscopes and tilt sensors. It was unveiled on December 3, 2001. That biography also states production ended in 2020.

Did Dean Kamen found FIRST?
Yes. FIRST’s official materials identify him as the founder and place the founding in 1989. FIRST describes itself as a global nonprofit robotics community for young people.

What is the FIRST Global Challenge?
FIRST’s official description presents it as an Olympics-style competition. It is described as created to help bring science and technology opportunities to youth around the world. The same materials note FIRST and FIRST Global work together.

What awards has Dean Kamen received?
A major reference biography states he received the National Medal of Technology in 2000. Lemelson-MIT lists him as the 2002 Lemelson-MIT Prize winner. The National Inventors Hall of Fame lists him as inducted in 2005.

Was Dean Kamen inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame?
Yes. The National Inventors Hall of Fame lists him as inducted in 2005. The same profile ties the induction to the AutoSyringe ambulatory infusion pump and a specific U.S. patent number.

What is the DEKA Arm System?
FDA documentation describes the DEKA Arm System as an upper-limb prosthesis intended to restore limb functions. DARPA program materials also connect DEKA’s work to the system. The sources used here document FDA clearance in May 2014.

Did Dean Kamen work with DARPA?
DARPA program materials describe a prosthetics program in which DEKA developed an arm system for DARPA. Those materials also note collaboration and testing that contributed to FDA clearance in May 2014. Not reliably documented beyond the program descriptions used here.

How many patents does Dean Kamen have?
Institutional profiles and major biographies consistently describe a large number of U.S. and international patents. The exact count varies across sources. Not reliably documented as a single settled number in the sources used here.

Quotes

We are not using kids to build robots; we are using robots to build kids.~Dean Kamen

 

Everything you can find that somebody else has done that works, use it!~Dean Kamen

 

In most cases, catastrophe is winning.~Dean Kamen

 

This is not a shortage of technology. It’s a shortage of courage, vision, awareness: a lot of human things.~Dean Kamen

 

In a free culture, you get what you celebrate.~Dean Kamen

 

Everybody roots for the underdog.~Dean Kamen

 

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, FIRST, Lemelson-MIT, National Inventors Hall of Fame, DEKA, National Science & Technology Medals Foundation, U.S. Food & Drug Administration, DARPA, Worcester Polytechnic Institute , redjar, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons