JoeBen Bevirt is an extraordinary individual – and that’s no hyperbole. Creating a lucrative underpinning with his line of knobby, infinitely-adjustable tripods, cell-phone and iPad™ holders, and LED lights, he has expanded into designing giant kites to fly into upper-atmosphere winds and generate high-output electricity. To loft these kites, he has created a line of motors with the aid of Diederik Marius, shown on the Joby Motors web site, and so far include two versions each of the JM1S and JM2S. Each can be configured with different windings for different applications. The JM1S weighs 1.8 kilograms (3.96 pounds) and can put out 12 kilowatts peak (16 horsepower) at 6,000 rpm. Diminutive, it is only154 millimeters in diameter (6.06 inches) and 53 mm (2.08 inches) thick. Although recommended usage includes radio-controlled models, one can see electric ultralight aircraft being designed in enthusiasts’ heads. Prices are $895 and $955 for the two configurations of the motor. The larger JM2S weighs 3.35 kg …
Need Electricity? Go Fly a Kite
What do JoeBen Bevirt and Benjamin Franklin have in common? They both grew up without electricity and built kites to find it. While being without electricity was the default condition in Franklin’s day, JoeBen was raised in a hippy commune in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Neither man found the deprivations of his youth to be an impediment to creativity. The phrase that keeps popping up in articles about JoeBen Bevirt, founder of Joby, inc. and Joby Energy, is “inveterate inventor.” Inveterate has the sense of growing old in one’s habits, something unlikely to happen to a truly inventive soul such as JoeBen. Deviser of a knobby-looking grip that can be fastened to almost anything, and which can hold cameras, lights, and other photographic gear, Bevirt has seen his Gorillapod become a huge success, and expand into Gorillamobile and Gorillatorch versions, hands-free flexible tripods to hold cell phones, flashlights, and other personal electronic devices. Earlier, he designed robotic systems to aid in biopharmaceutical …