Inventions
The Ten Best Children's Books of 2018
Our picks deliver feminist history, folklore reimagined and an adventurous romp through awe-inspiring destinations
Ear Tubes May Finally Get an Upgrade
Harvard researchers have invented a new device that might mean fewer visits to the surgeon for kids with chronic ear infections
Plans for the First E-cigarette Went Up in Smoke 50 Years Ago
Herbert A. Gilbert invented his "Smokeless" in 1963, but he couldn't convince any companies to bring the device to market
The Woman Whose Invention Helped Win a War — and Still Baffles Weathermen
Her work long overlooked, physicist Joan Curran developed technology to conceal aircraft from radar during World War II
The Patents Behind Pumpkin Pie
This Thanksgiving, when you take a bite of the traditional pie, take a moment to think about the inventions that have gone into the making of it
Jose Gomez-Marquez Wants to Turn Doctors and Nurses into Makers
Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter interviews the co-founder of MIT’s Little Devices Lab about democratizing health technology
The World's First Synthesizer Was a 200-Ton Behemoth
Thaddeus Cahill's Telharmonium may not have been a huge success, but it was an important achievement in music history
This Apartment-Size Wind Turbine Makes Use of Gusts Coming From All Directions
Winner of this year's James Dyson Award, the O-Wind Turbine is designed for the chaotic wind patterns of urban environments
The Future Is Bright If More Teens Could Think About High School the Way Kavya Kopparapu Does
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma talks with the founder of the Girls Computing League about the promise of her generation
The Surprising Origins of Kotex Pads
Before the first disposable sanitary napkin hit the mass market, periods were thought of in a much different way
What Are the Economic Incentives to Invent?
Prizes and patents may fulfill different needs, but together they fuel innovation
Could 3-D Printing Save Music Education?
D.C. chef Erik Bruner-Yang interviews Jill-of-all-trades Kaitlyn Hova about her plan to infuse STEM education with open source, 3-D printable instruments
Let's Build Cars Out of Batteries
If batteries could make up the very structure of our vehicles and electronics, those products would be far lighter and more efficient
People Feared Being Buried Alive So Much They Invented These Special Safety Coffins
For centuries, inventors have been patenting technology to prevent such a nightmare from happening
17 Inventions That Will Put You in the Halloween Mood
Here are some bizarre costume ideas, decorations and supplies culled from the U.S. patent archives
This 12-Year-Old Girl Built a Robot That Can Find Microplastics In the Ocean
Massachusetts seventh grader Anna Du has developed an ROV that moves through water and detects microplastics on the seafloor
Is Wireless Charging for Cars Finally Here?
The Massachusetts startup WiTricity has developed a mat that charges electric vehicles using magnetic resonance
The Woman Who Made a Device to Help Disabled Veterans Feed Themselves—and Gave It Away for Free
World War II nurse Bessie Blount went on to become an inventor and forensic handwriting expert
This New Needle Simulator Could Train Medical Students To Have a Steady Hand
Penn State researchers have developed a device that could help future doctors perfect their needle insertion technique—before they start on people
Stanford Ovshinsky Might Be the Most Prolific Inventor You’ve Never Heard Of
A new book calls attention to the 20th-century genius with more than 400 patents to his name
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