After having invented the Segway, a novel but ultimately abandoned form of transportation, Dean Kamen went back to the drawing board and came back with the inflatable turbine, which is part-wind turbine and part-LED billboard.
The Segway may not have caught on, but it did do one thing: The upright scooter forced people to reevaluate the conventional transport mediums with a more scrutinous eye. By Dean Kamen's own admission, his most recent patent won't be a game-changer, but will force onlookers to rethink energy-producing methods. The inflatable turbine is a lightweight, portable device that allows users to easily relocate it to windier areas. It also includes a marketing element -- Small LEDs powered by the turbine can broadcast messages that include words, letters and even complex symbols!
Kamen may be onto something here: maybe their lack of advertising or money-making potential has held back green technologies? Time will only tell once this device starts deploying on rooftops near you.
What's Driving This Trend
- Alternative Energy Solutions
- The inflatable turbine presents an innovative approach to energy production, potentially disrupting traditional methods.
- Portable and Lightweight Technologies
- The lightweight and portable design of the inflatable turbine opens up opportunities for easy relocation and installation in windier areas.
- Integrated Advertising and Renewable Energy
- The inclusion of small LEDs powered by the turbine offers a unique marketing element, combining renewable energy and advertising.
Who This Affects Most
- Renewable Energy
- The inflatable turbine has the potential to revolutionize the renewable energy industry with its portable and versatile design.
- Outdoor Advertising
- The integration of LEDs powered by the inflatable turbine creates new opportunities for innovative outdoor advertising strategies.
- Transportation and Mobility
- Drawing from the previous Segway invention, the inflatable turbine highlights the need for reevaluating transportation and mobility solutions, potentially leading to disruptive innovations in this industry.
