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Patents

Marion Donovan demonstrates the "Boater," around 1950.

Meet Marion Donovan, the Mother Who Invented a Precursor to the Disposable Diaper

The prolific inventor with 20 patents to her name developed the “Boater,” a reusable, waterproof diaper cover in the late 1940s

As every exhausted new parent knows, sometimes babies don’t want to sleep in stationary cribs.

A History of Cribs and Other Brilliant and Bizarre Inventions for Getting Babies to Sleep

Generations of parents have relied on contraptions, both clever and crazy, to give their infants—and themselves—some rest

One of Brigham Young University engineering professor Larry Howell's initial origami projects was a solar array that compacted to 9 feet during launch, but deployed to 82 feet across in space to generate power.

How Origami Is Revolutionizing Industrial Design

Scientists and engineers are finding practical applications for the Japanese art form in space, medicine, robotics, architecture and more

Solar has had an average annual growth rate of 50 percent in the last 10 years.

A Brief History of Solar Panels

Inventors have been advancing solar technology for more than a century and a half, and improvements in efficiency and aesthetics keep on coming

The National Museum of American History has in its collection this Autoped motor scooter from 1918.

Pop History

The Motorized Scooter Boom That Hit a Century Before Dockless Scooters

Launched in 1915, the Autoped had wide appeal, with everyone from suffragettes to postmen giving it a try

Featuring a small plastic hinge binding both pieces together, this clever container became the perfect way to conceal treats from prying eyes.

Thank One of America’s Most Prolific Inventors for the Hinged Plastic Easter Egg

Donald Weder holds some 1,400 U.S. patents for inventions, including the ubiquitous egg and a process for making plastic Easter grass

Nanayakkara has gone out of his way to ensure students and scientists in his prolific lab are enabled to create based on their interests, and collaborate with each other on their ideas.

Inside Professor Nanayakkara’s Futuristic Augmented Human Lab

An engineer at the University of Auckland asks an important question: What can seamless human-computer interfaces do for humanity?

As a person with autism, Grandin is deeply familiar with the anxiety of being in an unfamiliar environment. She has used her uncommon insight into the experience of livestock to invent a number of systems for improving livestock handling.

Temple Grandin’s Pig-Stunning System Came to Her in a Vision

Patented 20 years ago, the invention never took off. But the renowned animal science professor still thinks its time may come

The Patents Behind Basketball

This March Madness consider how the sport has evolved in its 128-year history, through innovations in ball design, hoops and training devices

Ingenious Women

Meet the Female Inventor Behind Mass-Market Paper Bags

A self-taught engineer, Margaret Knight bagged a valuable patent, at a time when few women held intellectual property

Dumbo prepares to fly.

The Original ‘Dumbo’ Story Would Have Had More Twists and Turns

Before soaring into theaters, Disney’s flying elephant was about to be published as a scrolling children’s book

Left: Bottles of international rums from E&A Scheer line a wall. The rums are used for research and comparison. Right: The distillery’s patented reactor, or “time machine for booze.”

The Madcap Chemists of Booze

At Lost Spirits Distillery in Los Angeles, high-tech instruments accelerate the aging process of precious whiskeys and rums

In theory, all you’d need to do is give a blood sample and his test would indicate whether you have allergies to a certain substance or not.

Teen Inventor Designs Noninvasive Allergy Screen Using Genetics and Machine Learning

Seventeen-year-old Ayush Alag is one of 40 finalists in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search

The First African-American to Hold a Patent Invented ‘Dry Scouring’

In 1821, Thomas Jennings patented a method for removing dirt and grease from clothing that would lead to today’s dry cleaning

The Patents Behind Your Box of Valentine’s Day Chocolates

Before you sample a truffle or a coconut cream, consider all of the innovation that has been poured into the sweets and their lovely presentation

The Necco candy factory used to produce piles of Sweethearts.

The Pharmacist Who Launched America’s Modern Candy Industry

Oliver Chase invented a lozenge-cutting machine that led to Necco wafers, Sweethearts and the mechanization of candy making

Lego's Duplo bricks have been in production for 50 years.

How Lego Patents Helped Build a Toy Empire, Brick by Brick

The Danish toy company invented its basic brick, then designed a toddler-friendly version, before adding mini figures to the mix

The Patents Behind Pasta Shapes

When you sit down to a bowl, be it gnocchi or Kraft macaroni, consider the design work and innovation that have gone into it

The watch was cleared for adults by the FDA early last year; now it’s been cleared for children too.

This Smartwatch Can Help Detect Seizures in Kids

The Embrace is one of a growing number of wearables capable of detecting seizures and alerting caregivers

At the start of the 1960s, color television was still a relatively novel technology.

Color TV Transformed the Way Americans Saw the World, and the World Saw America

A historian of 20th century media argues that the technological innovation was the quintessential Cold War machine

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