The Substantially Similar Weblog

Cardea· looks like a really cool invention. It’s a three-armed robot with a Segway Human Transporter· for a foot. It’s an MIT AI Lab project·—see the Project Page·. I mention it here—(1) because it looks pretty nifty, but (2) it’s a good reminder of the innovation that occurs in academic institutions, where — arguably — the typical intellectual property ownership incentive to create is at least limited. I’m wondering if the device is ever released whether there will be patent problems—will Cardea have to license the Segway from Dean Kamen·?

Incidentally, the Dean Kamen info page includes this clever little Q & A:

How do I contact Dean Kamen directly?
Unfortunately you cannot contact Dean directly.

(this entry also marks the birth of a new weblog topic, technology)

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