Skip to main content

Yesterday, on the rocky island of Tenerife, I did everything the Gods forbid on a gyroscope balanced, balance steered, and battery powered two wheeler. On a Segway X2 PT (personal transporter), I whirled through dust, over rocks, down stairs, blazed over sand and climbed steep hills. This machine can still do a lot more than I dare.

I met its inventor the denim-clad, easy laughing billionaire Dean Kamen multiple times in Austin. Kamen invented the iBot, a revolutionary all-terrain electric wheelchair using gyroscopes. It is also known as “Fred upstairs”, because it can climb stairs.   He then lowered the rack price of the gyroscopes by building them into the self-balancing sports vehicle that became known as the Segway PT (code name Ginger). The Segway balances on two parallel wheels and is controlled by moving body weight.

Dean Kamen is an eccentric inventor, and philanthropist. He rocked the stage at #SxSW talking about his Stirling engine (read my blogpost here)

But I wanted to share his TED speak “to invent is to give” and introduce you to one of the brightest minds I’ve ever met. Enjoy.

Danny Devriendt is the Managing Director of IPG/Dynamic in Brussels, and the CEO of The Eye of Horus, a global think-tank focusing on innovative technology topics. With a proven track record in leadership mentoring, C-level whispering, strategic communications and a knack for spotting meaningful trends, Danny challenges the status quo and embodies change. Attuned to the subtlest signals from the digital landscape, Danny identifies significant trends in science, economics, culture, society, and technology and assesses their potential impact on brands, organizations, and individuals. His ability for bringing creative ideas, valuable insights, and unconventional solutions to life, makes him an invaluable partner and energizing advisor for top executives. Specializing in innovation -and the corporate communications, influence, strategic positioning, exponential change, and (e)reputation that come with it-, Danny is the secret weapon that you hope your competitors never tap into. As a guest lecturer at a plethora of universities and institutions, he loves to share his expertise with future (and current) generations. Having studied Educational Sciences and Agogics, Danny's passion for people, Schrödinger's cat, quantum mechanics, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fuels his unique, outside-of-the-box thinking. He never panics. Previously a journalist in Belgium and the UK, Danny joined IPG Mediabrands in 2012 after serving as a global EVP Digital and Social for the Porter Novelli network (Omnicom). His expertise in managing global, regional, or local teams; delivering measurable business growth; navigating fierce competition; and meeting challenging deadlines makes him an seasoned leader. (He has a microwave at home.) An energetic presenter, he brought his enthusiasm, clicker and inspiring slides to over 300 global events, including SXSW, SMD, DMEXCO, Bluetooth World Congress, GSMA MWC, and Cebit. He worked with an impressive portfolio of clients like Bayer AG, 3M, Coca Cola, KPMG, Tele Atlas, Parrot, The Belgian National Lottery, McDonald's, Colruyt, Randstad, Barco, Veolia, Alten, Dow, PWC, the European Commission, Belfius, and HP. He played a pivotal role in Bluetooth's global success. Ranked 3rd most influential ad executive on Twitter by Business Insider and listed among the top 10 ad execs to follow by CEO Magazine, Danny also enjoys writing poetry and short stories, earning several literary awards in Belgium and the Netherlands. Fluent in Dutch, French, and English, Danny is an eager and versatile communicator. His BBQ skills are legendary.

Discover more from Heliade

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading