'Ginger' Inventor Says Speculation Far Overblown

Sunday, January 14, 2001

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The inventor who has been the subject of a frenzy of speculation over a new gadget said to be more important than the Internet has stepped forward to deny that he has any such ``Earth-shattering'' project in the works.

``We have a promising project, but nothing of the Earth-shattering nature that people are conjuring up,'' Dean Kamen, president of Manchester, New Hampshire-based DEKA Research, said in a statement referring to one of his forthcoming inventions.

Kamen, the millionaire inventor of devices such as a portable insulin pump and a wheelchair that climbs stairs, said he felt compelled to comment on speculation arising from an ''unfortunate, unapproved leak'' in a book proposal about him.

Kamen's invention is reportedly the subject of a forthcoming book from Harvard Business School Press.

The planned book about the mystery invention described it as having the backing of high-tech leaders such as Apple Computer Co. co-founder Steve Jobs (news - web sites) and Amazon.com (news - web sites) founder Jeff Bezos and to be of great social and economic importance, according to an article by Inside.com published on Tuesday.

The story set in motion a wave of speculation in media and over the Internet as to whether the invention might be some revolutionary new type of computer, or some sort of personal transportation device that functioned like a Hovercraft.

Kamen, who had remained quiet initially, issued a statement late on Friday saying that several of the comments cited in the book proposal had been taken out of context. Harvard Business School Press has declined to comment on any plans for such a book.

``The leaked proposal quoted several prominent technology leaders out of context, without their doubts, risks and maybes included,'' Kamen said in a statement issued late on Friday. ''This, together with spirited speculation about the unknown, has led to expectations that are beyond the mere whimsical.''

Kamen was recently awarded a National Medal of Technology.