Dean Kamen, inventor of the much-ballyhooed Segway Human Transporter, has come up with a new innovation: a portable water purifier he says can help mitigate the lack of clean, freshwater sources in impoverished parts of the world. Kamen unveiled a prototype of his creation at the annual cutting-edge “Technology, Entertainment, Design” conference, being held this week in Monterey, Calif. Used in conjunction with a portable power generator, the purifier can produce 10 gallons of clean water per hour from seawater or contaminated water, according to Kamen. The purifier requires little maintenance and uses no chemicals or filters. Last year, the World Health Organization reported that more than 1 billion people lack access to potable water.
