Patents

The Patents Behind Seven Classic Back-to-School Supplies

From backpacks to crayons, every piece of gear has an invention story

To celebrate its centennial, KitchenAid released a passion red limited edition stand mixer.

For 100 Years, KitchenAid Has Been the Stand-Up Brand of Stand Mixers

Even celebrity chef Julia Child said that the sleek appliance made mixing 'marvelous'

The "Mark Twain" launched in early 1882 as an 18-size, key-wound movement with a subsidiary seconds function.

Mark Twain's Quest to Bring Affordable Watches to the Masses

At one time, he even invested in a watch company that launched a signature 'Mark Twain' pocket watch

The technology involves a system of sensors that detect the minuscule neuromuscular signals sent by the brain to the vocal cords and muscles of the throat and tongue.

This Device Can Hear You Talking to Yourself

AlterEgo could help people with communication or memory problems by broadcasting internal monologues

The 8-bit system looks dated by today’s standards.

Thirty Years Ago, Game Boy Changed the Way America Played Video Games

Nintendo's handheld gaming system proved to be a huge success, thanks to its durability and battery life

A government demonstration of the polygraph from the 1970s

Why Lie Detector Tests Can't Be Trusted

Federal agencies embraced the polygraph in the 1950s to reassure the public that they could unmask spies

The 2010 census showed that Scituate had the highest number of people claiming Irish ancestry than any other town in America, almost 50 percent of its roughly 18,000 residents, earning it the nickname the “Irish Riviera.”

The Most Irish Town in America Was Built on Seaweed

After discovering 'Irish moss' in coastal waters, Irish immigrants launched a booming mossing industry in Scituate, Massachusetts

Kraft Heinz, Cool Whip’s current owner, still sells 200 million tubs of the stuff a year.

The Scientist Behind Some of Our Favorite Junk Foods

William A. Mitchell invented Cool Whip, Pop Rocks, Tang and other 20th-century treats

The team has applied for a patent for the material (shown here in a petri dish) and continues to test it at the micro- and nano-scale to better understand how it works.

How Scientists Are Using Eggshells to Grow New Bone

People with bones damaged by accidents, cancer or aging could one day benefit from bone grafts strengthened with chicken eggshells

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh discovered a new form of flight in dandelion seeds.

Five Scientific Findings That Could Lead to New Inventions

From cat tongues to dandelions seeds, engineers often look in peculiar places for inspiration

To deflect from concerns around sexual undertones, Milton Bradley packaged the game as inoffensively as possible.

When Twister Was Too Risqué for America

The hugely successful game, patented 50 years ago this week, had its critics at first

The team derived acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, from a plant wall polymer called lignin.

Researchers Develop Plant-Based, Eco-Friendly Method to Produce Tylenol

Current manufacturing processes rely on coal tar, which is produced using fossil fuels

The author likes to think the lunar rover's design was informed in part by his father's experience retooling the family station wagon.

From the Family Station Wagon to the Apollo Lunar Rover, My Dad's Engineering Talent Had No Limits

Stricken with polio as an adult, he retired from the military and joined NASA's ingenious design team

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's annual fireworks report, there were about 5,600 fireworks-related injuries between June 22 and July 22 of last year.

Seven Inventions for a Safer Fourth of July

From fireworks shields to seat belts, these inventions throughout history have made summer fun less risky

Introduced in 1959, the Xerox 914 could make 100,000 copies per month. The Smithsonian received this machine in 1985.

How Xerox's Intellectual Property Prevented Anyone From Copying Its Copiers

The company used patents and trademarks to develop a line of machines based on inventor Chester Carlson's 'electrophotography'

Commuters ride up escalators at the Dupont Circle Metro Station in Washington, D.C.

How the Escalator Forever Changed Our Sense of Space

Sure, the 19th-century invention transformed shopping. But it also revolutionized how we think about the built environment

As women entered through the “Ladies” side of a turnstile, Lenna Winslow’s “Voting Machine” concealed ballot items on which they could not vote.

The Voting Machine That Displayed Different Ballots Based on Your Sex

In an era of partial suffrage, these inventions helped women cast their votes

The Super Soaker was the top-selling toy in the world in 1992.

The Accidental Invention of the Super Soaker

A leak in a heat pump gave rocket scientist Lonnie Johnson the idea for his powerful squirt gun

Every year its manufacturer, 3M, sells enough of it to circle Earth 165 times.

How the Invention of Scotch Tape Led to a Revolution in How Companies Managed Employees

College dropout Richard Drew became an icon of 20th century innovation, inventing cellophane tape, masking tape and more

The robot is a bit slow moving at about 1.5 body lengths per minute. But the new design shows promise for future hybrid systems.

Engineers Built a Robotic Lionfish With an Energetic Bloodstream

The robo-fish pumps energy-packed liquid through vein-like tubes to move its fins and swim for hours

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