Revolutionary Patents: Inventions that changed the world
Have you ever wondered how inventions have shaped our lives?
There have been lots of inventions which have helped human beings in one way or the other. Starting with simple inventions like a water bottle to complicated inventions like a washing machine, all inventions have been truly revolutionary. There are thousands of such inventions that have helped us lead a comfortable life thereby simplifying our work and saving time.
Today, we have many useful inventions which influence our daily life. Just imagine how these inventions could have looked when the first idea came out? It is obvious that the phones that we use today are much different from the initial invention. For example, compare a smartphone that we use today with the phone which was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. Yes, the telephone has definitely undergone a huge transformation from its initial form. Many thanks to the inventors for this unimaginable transformation, as their constant thinking has led to interesting and useful inventions. Apart from inventing, inventors should also legally protect their invention through patent to get maximum business benefits.
There are many inventions starting from the stone age to the modern age which has revolutionized the world at each stage. Here is a list of the top 10 patented inventions that have not only revolutionized the world but have also been constantly influencing us from their first day of existence.
1. Lightbulb
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Going by the quote “Necessity is the mother of invention”, the necessity of light at the early days, led to the invention of light bulb. Though many people have been involved in inventing the light bulb, it is the name of Thomas Alva Edison which first comes to our mind when we speak about bulbs. Edison successfully patented the first commercial bulb in 1879 in United States. Edison’s version of bulb had three important things – an effective incandescent material, a higher vacuum and a high resistance. This made his version of light bulb economically viable. This simple invention has undergone many changes and today we have the best forms of lighting devices such as LED, fluorescent tubes, Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) etc.
During the early days, light bulb was used only for lighting purpose but these days the transformation in technology has paved the way for using them as an intelligent lighting system which has smart features like automatically switching ON/OFF based on occupancy of a room, lighting colours to control the mood of a person, integrated with alarms / other sensors to provide alerts etc. These systems also have advantages like low energy consumption, providing visual comfort, durability in addition to preventing users from getting exposed to UV radiation.
2. Telephone
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In today’s world, a person without a phone is just unthinkable. This shows the importance and influence of phones in our daily life.
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell successfully patented a telephone model in United States, which transmitted vocal / other sounds telegraphically. Telephones have undergone multiple technical advancements over many years and today all of us use modern smartphones. This transformation is due to the features that gets updated periodically. Unlike the conventional telephones, the smartphones that we use today have lot of features like portability, wireless communication, internet access, camera etc. These features provide ease of use in our daily life.
3. Car
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While automobile is one of the greatest and most important inventions in human history, it is the car that has had a considerable impact in our daily life. Karl Benz was the first person to build automobile using an internal combustion engine which was powered by gasoline. His first design was close to a tricycle and he called the design as Motorwagen which could transport two passengers. He received a patent for this automobile in 1886.
Just imagine, the journey of a car from this model of Benz to the recent ones like Audi. The simple model of a car has today got transformed into a driverless car. This has been possible due to continuous research and inventions.
4. Magnetic Levitation
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It would be thrilling and exciting to imagine a super-fast train travelling at lightning speed with hundreds of passengers. The very thought is enough to raise your heartbeat due to sheer excitement! Many thanks to James Powell and Gordon Danby for the interesting concept of making the train to float above the ground.
James Powell and Gordon Danby received the first patent for a maglev train in 1967. Their design used superconducting electromagnets for generating a suspension force. The train was advanced along the track by using a propeller. These trains definitely have some advanced features as compared to normal trains. These include high safety level, mechanism to avoid derailment, capability to travel at high speed, eco-friendly and noiseless form of transportation.
5. Quadcopter Drones
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Drones occupy a prime position in the latest trend of inventions. Nowadays, drones are used for multiple purposes such as, delivering goods & medicines, surveillance for military purpose, spraying pesticide / fertilizers in agricultural fields and used in many other applications.
Though there are many designs in drones, the one which is familiar to us is a quadcopter. The first patent on a quadcopter drone was received by Edward G. Vanderlip, who was an engineer in Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, in 1962. His patent disclosed a design which was simple with four lift rotors arranged in pairs at opposite ends. The vertical axis of drone tilt is always perpendicular to the ground and can fly in any direction while maintaining a level platform.
6.Virtual Reality
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During the last few years, virtual reality has had an influence in all realms and industries including Mental Health, Military, Medical training, Education and Fashion, to name a few. But that was not the intent when it was invented. The first proposed VR headset was used for analysing financial data. Sounds strange?
An inventor named Paul Marshall received a patent for a virtual reality generator in 2000 which describes a computer-generated world that allows the user to navigate using control devices. This technology influenced the world of research till Oculus Rift released their entertainment headset in 2016.
Nowadays, VR is used in many industries including automotive, healthcare, tourism, entertainment, education and sports. The advent of this technology has brought many advantages including bringing realistic scenarios, innovative & enjoyable experience for users and ability to simplify the problems.
7. 3D Printer
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One of the top-rated technologies of modern world is 3D printing. But this technology is not new. The emergence of this technology goes back to 1940s. However, the technology evolved in the year 1986, when Charles W. Hull invented an apparatus for 3D printing and received a patent for the apparatus. This patent disclosed basic aspect of the technology i.e., stereolithography / light-solidification of resin. Nowadays, 3D printing is used widely in manufacturing applications.
8. Solar Panel
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Just imagine a kind of energy which can run infinitely? Of course, it’s the sun’s energy. From early 19th century, various researches have been conducted to trap the energy of sun and use it for various purposes. As a result, in 1888, Edward Weston received first patent which dealt with solar energy. The patent disclosed a thermoelectric element with two bodies of dissimilar metal which are connected on one end and insulated everywhere else. This causes an electrical current to flow in a circuit when exposed to sunlight. This idea of solar energy plays a major role in the modern world.
9. Smart Wear
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Smart is a buzz word of this era. We have many things around us which are prefixed by the word ‘smart’. How about our clothes? Can they be smart too? IBM says yes. The tech giant received a patent in 2017 for a smart wear which can adapt itself for providing maximum comfort to the person who wears it.
10. Bionic Eye
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Technical advancements are happening at a rapid pace in all fields. The advancement in healthcare also has brought a lot of changes in the way physicians treat diseases thereby saving lives of many people. There are many healthcare related inventions which have revolutionized the world. One such invention is bionic eye. A patent received by Second Sight Medical Products Inc in 2016, describes an improved configuration of an implantable retinal prosthesis. This invention has made blind patients to get partial sight, including the ability to see shapes and light.
These are some of the inventions that have made a huge impact on us worldwide. In a few years, driverless cars may be the norm for everyone, and robots will be common sight in factories. Over the next decade, we will see many such new inventions that can transform and revolutionize the world to make it a better place for living.
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