Hollis Heimbouch, senior editor at HBSP, said she had little information with which to evaluate the book besides the reputation of the machine's inventor and the testimonies of a few witnesses to the machine who had been sworn to secrecy.
A proposal for Kamen's invention has been seen by Jeff Bezos, president of the online retailer Amazon.com, Amazon's press office confirmed yesterday.
Venture capital and technology moguls have been quick to weigh in on Ginger, saying that the invention could revolutionize urban planning and change people's daily life worldwide.
Ginger is so revolutionary, according to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, that "if enough people see the machine you won't have to convince them to architect cities around it. It'll just happen."
Kamen says his new invention can be assembled in five to 10 minutes, from parts that could fit into a few duffle bags, and is projected to cost less than $2,000.
Kamen is the founder of DEKA Research of Manchester, N.H. and has won numerous prizes and awards for his mechanical contributions to medical science. He invented the portable insulin pump and a wheelchair that can negotiate stairs, sand and gravel.
--Staff writer Benjamin D. Grizzle can be reached at grizzle@fas.harvard.edu.