The Claim Game

Showing posts with label innovation. Show all posts

After looking at my fellow peers' blog post I have revised my list of top ten inventions of all time as the following:

Written Language - Written language is a fundamental aspect of human society. Without language, it is difficult to communicate innovative ideas or even socially interact in the first place. Written language predates everything from newspapers, mass media, journalism, social media, to scientific, peer-reviewed journal articles. In many ways, written language is a fundamental instrument of innovation.
Sewage Systems - Sewage systems allow for exponentially increased hygiene, reducing illness and disease. In effect, sewage systems have increased the human lifespan.
Vaccinations - Vaccinations are debatably one of the greatest medical innovations of all time. Vaccinations not only protect individuals, but they can eliminate traces of a disease on a large scale. Vaccinations are also not limited to our common conceptions of infectious disease (e.g. ebola, measles, polio, etc). Vaccinations can prevent viruses associated with cancers from infecting individuals, reducing the susceptibility to such cancers.
Lightbulb - The light bulb has allowed individuals to learn, study, and work independent from natural light that is limited by time of day as well as weather conditions. If light bulbs were to cease to exist then productivity would take a steep decline.
Feminine Products - Feminine products have mobilized women for years. From tampons, that allow women to comfortably participate in various activities, to pain relievers designed for the menstrual cycle, feminine hygiene products are essential to the lives of every woman. (And unfortunately their importance is often overshadowed)
Battery - The battery has allowed for several mobile devices to exist - from smart phones, to laptops, to flashlights, to calculators - batteries are in many ways integral components of modern day society.
Antibiotics - Antibiotics not only serve critical treatments to various infections, but they also serve a significant purpose in the biotech industry. Antibiotics allow for selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, streamlining the production of gene clones.
Wheel - The wheel is debatably one of the most credited inventions of all time. The wheel has served as the crux of transportation - from wheelbarrows to automobiles to planes.
Anesthesia - Anesthesia has allowed for many surgical procedures to occur in a pain minimized way - from smaller procedures like wisdom teeth removal, to much bigger ones, like coronary artery bypass surgeries.
Printing Press - The printing press has revolutionized education. Whether it be printing books to educate students on a specific subject matter or educate the public on current occurrences, the printing press has facilitated a diffusion of knowledge that is the backbone of modern society and innovation.

Sources:

http://www.mls.k12.nd.us/hsanderson/files/2015/04/prototyping-my-invention.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/A_Specimen_by_William_Caslon.jpg
http://winnipeg.ca/waterandwaste/images/sewage/combined.jpg
http://vaxtruth.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/MMRvaccine.png
http://s3.amazonaws.com/digitaltrends-uploads-prod/2013/12/lightbulb.jpg
http://www.martinavenue.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Feminine-Care2.jpg
http://blog.codinghorror.com/content/images/uploads/2008/03/6a0120a85dcdae970b0128777030bf970c-pi.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYSlI6i5OJMWTH3Qjhem7Vf8c6X31KURL79x2o5Gyb1AwwsC5o
http://c3e308.medialib.glogster.com/media/86/867de1f744123853e1c16467a6b882776781de64a2182b2ff3cd722460eefc99/wooden-wheel-jpg.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Handtiegelpresse_von_1811.jpg

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution states:

"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;...To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;"

In other words, innovation costs a lot of time and money. To incentivize enduring the costs of innovation, innovators may protect their inventions with patents, excluding other individuals from using their innovations for a temporary amount of time, and ultimately allowing innovators to recoup their investment costs and continue to innovate.

But what is "innovative"? And do our everyday perceptions of innovation differ from what is legally patentable? To start this conversation off, I am going to discuss ten inventions that I believe are indeed innovative and have had a significant impact on the world (in no particular order)

Satellite - Weather and navigation satellites provide useful information to many daily. Imagine trying to get around Berkeley/SF without a GPS-based app of some sort.

Battery - Mobile devices let us to be productive, communicate, and procrastinate like never before. Batteries are essential to many of these devices.

Lightbulb - Lightbulbs allow us to work and function regardless of the time of day/location.

Internet - The internet has increased access to information, as well as provided the foundation for connecting individuals in novel ways (via e-mail, instant messaging and social media).

Airplane - Airplanes allow us to to travel internationally with relative ease, facilitating collaboration, cultural awareness, and social solidarity.

Computer - Computers have accelerated our data processing power, allowing us to automate multiple tasks, and really push forward our productivity and research capabilities.

Vaccines - Not only have vaccines deterred the spread of various diseases, but they have also introduced the field of preventative medicine which is a pretty awesome and cost-efficient approach to healthcare. In several cases preventing a disease can be a lot cheaper than treating one.

Antibiotics - Antibiotics are integral to treating infectious disease, as well as carrying out molecular biology research (e.g. using microorganisms to create gene constructs). For instance, several labs use ampicillin and/or kanamycin to grow bacteria with DNA that will later be harvested for experiments.

Anesthesia - Anesthesia has allowed for the ease and feasibility of life saving surgical procedures. Imagine a world where even the more basic procedures, like wisdom teeth removal or cavity fillings, had to be done without anesthetics. Ouch.

Menstrual Pad/Tampons/Cups - Women spend upwards of hundreds of dollars a year on feminine hygiene products. I think these numbers speak for themselves.

Are these inventions patentable? Are the inventions that you think have significantly impacted the world patentable? If not, why, and what can we do to compensate?

The internet + my computer reminding me to be productive via Momentum.

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )

The Claim Game

Revolutionizing Public Health: Vaccines & Preventative Medicine

Ten Inventions: Updated

Ten Inventions