Mass-Scale DesalinationReverse osmosis enables large-scale desalination of seawater, efficiently transforming it into drinking water. People have been trying to desalinate seawater into drinking water for millennia. Firstly, Aristotle and other ancient Greeks unsuccessfully attempted to desalinate seawater. Eventually, by the 16th century, ship-based evaporation desalination systems created potable water. In time, by 1955, the first multi-stage … Continue reading "Mass-Scale Desalination"
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) MachineComputer Numerical Control (CNC) machines create identical interchangeable parts. They simplify manufacturing and reduce the risk of human error producing parts. Starting in 1949, John Parsons worked with Frank Stulen at Gordon S. Brown’s Servomechanisms Laboratory at MIT to develop a system where punch cards controlled a machining tool, called Numerical Control (NC). This evolved … Continue reading "Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machine"
Vacuum CleanerVacuum cleaners lower the cost of cleaning and enables better hygiene. Booth saw demonstrations of machines that blew air to scatter dust. Reversing the airstream would allow air to be sucked through a filter. Collecting the dirt into a bag reduced the time needed for cleaning while increasing quality. Booth’s machines were full-sized trucks. Long … Continue reading "Vacuum Cleaner"
Strategically Addictive DrugsBackground Cigarettes are addictive. However the availability of tobacco around the world, in the early 1800s, limited them as a mass-market item. Even the largest wind-powered ships contained limited space. Filling ships with enough tobacco to addict a whole country was not viable during this period. However, another product did fill this role, opium. Tobacco … Continue reading "Strategically Addictive Drugs"
Aspirin1899 Arthur EichengrünFelix Hoffman Aspirin is often referred to as a miracle drug. The inexpensive medicine relieves pain without addiction, reduces fever, and even helps prevent heart attack. There is some evidence Aspirin even prevents cancer. Aspirin is the distilled and purified version of medicine known since ancient times. Hippocrates, he of the Hippocratic Oath, … Continue reading "Aspirin"
X-Ray ImagingIn 1895, Wilhelm Röntgen noticed that electromagnetic radiation would expose bone structure under certain conditions. He invented the medical X-Ray machine. For his invention, Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize for Physics, in 1901, and several other illustrious awards. Due to WWI, companies were forbidden from paying the German royalties and his savings were destroyed … Continue reading "X-Ray Imaging"
Interchangeable Standardized Parts: the “American Manufacturing Method”Standardized parts allow parts of a machine to be swapped out, enabling factories to manufacture parts without worrying about the larger machine. Interchangeable parts vastly lowered manufacturing costs. Check out the video we created about interchangeable standardized parts: Today, everything from cars to computers, software and even food, is interchangeable. We’re annoyed that a USB … Continue reading "Interchangeable Standardized Parts: the “American Manufacturing Method”"
Long Lasting Light BulbEdison’s bulb is well-known but what’s less understood is the enormous infrastructure required to power it. Edison created a power plant in New York City, power cables, transformers, power meters, insulators. When the lights finally came on, at the New York Times building, it represented the end of a herculean undertaking and the beginning of … Continue reading "Long Lasting Light Bulb"
Mass Market Broadband Internet (DSL & Cable Modems)Broadband definitions continually change, but in 2017 the US definition of broadband is 25Mbps (megabytes per second) downstream and 3Mbps upstream. This is fast enough to stream music, movies, web surf, and read blurbs on innowiki. Background Early internet users used slow dial-up modems. The last mass-produced dial-up model ran at 56Kbps, about 1/450th the … Continue reading "Mass Market Broadband Internet (DSL & Cable Modems)"
SonographySonography is the process of using sound waves as an imaging device, typically for medical purposes. Background Indeed, the principles of sonography come from the natural world. For example, bats and whales are mammals that use sound waves for navigation. In 1794, after performing medical studies on bats, Lazzaro Spallanzani gained a basic understanding of … Continue reading "Sonography"
Why not Wikipedia? Deletionists.There is a major problem with Wikipedia, deletionists. Deletionists, as the name suggests, get off on deleting things. They tear down rather than build up. Why would they want to do this? There are two primary reasons. First, it is an easy way to increase the number of Wikipedia edits which increases the visibility and … Continue reading "Why not Wikipedia? Deletionists."
StatinsStatins dramatically lower blood cholesterol, and the likelihood of heart attacks. Akira Endo discovered statins. Akira Endo & His Molds Endo is a Japanese researcher with a lifelong fascination related to fungi. Recalling that Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin, he theorized that fungi might hold other miracle drugs. Endo noted that Americans are much heavier than … Continue reading "Statins"
Oil DrillDrake’s oil drill is one of the stranger stories, in a collection of innovation origin stories where strange is common. The oil drill vastly lowered the cost and increased the efficiency of collecting oil. Before the drill, oil was usually collected in naturally formed pools at the ground surface. Most early oil was distilled into … Continue reading "Oil Drill"
Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Chips (CMOS)The magical ability to power your mobile phone, tablet, and computer comes from a CMOS chip. These chips require minuscule amounts of power compared to other types of computer chips. They are as small or smaller than other types of chips. However, despite these advantages, it took decades for the technology to gain traction. Fairchild … Continue reading "Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Chips (CMOS)"
BroadcastingDavid Sarnoff David Sarnoff is the father of broadcasting. Sarnoff was a Jewish immigrant who became his family’s breadwinner at age 15. He worked as a Morse Code operator, rising up the ranks to become a supervisor. Eventually, he transitioned to radio to transmit messages over long distances. Early radio technology was for point-to-point communications, … Continue reading "Broadcasting"