Great inventions that sparked the industrial revolution

The industrial revolution was one of mankind’s greatest achievements. It ushered us into the future thanks to innovations in the manufacture of goods that changed world economies. A handful of inventions made it all possible. Here are some of the greatest inventions that gave way to the industrial revolution.

 Steam engine
The steam engine was originally built in the 1600s but was utilized fully in 1775 in its application to locomotive engines. This also ushered in the railway system, which allowed people to travel long distances in a very efficient manner. Steam engines were also used in the production of textile.

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Spinning Jenny
Developed by James Hargreaves in 1764, this invention allowed for spinning multiple wool simultaneously. This boosted the time it takes to produce textile products, and reduced the needed manpower along with the time of production.

Telegraph
Communication also played a major part in the industrial revolution. Before the invention of the telephone, people relied on the telegraph. This gave people the ability to communicate from far reaches of both coasts almost simultaneously.

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Airplane
Before the invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers, the only forms of fast transportation were trains and ships. The invention of the airplane allowed man to travel further at greater speeds than previous modes of transportation.

Sewing machine
Creating clothes before the sewing machine was a tedious manual process. The sewing machine allowed households to make clothes on their own. This was also instrumental in the mass production of clothes that became the basis of the fashion industry.

Peter Zieve is an inventor with 50 patents and the owner of an innovative business. He is the founder and CEO of Electroimpact Inc., a world leader in design and manufacturing of aerospace tooling and automation. For more insightful reads, visit this website.

How to file a patent for an invention

It’s imperative that any inventor secures a patent for their work.  Having a patent essentially prevents your invention from being used by others for profit.  In other words, a patent gives you government protection for your invention, allowing you to sue anyone who infringes upon your idea for their own benefit.

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Filing a patent can get quite complicated and, in some instances, a patent application may be outright rejected, so it is essential to seek the help of an expert intellectual property lawyer before you actually file one.  Your attorney can aid you in both drafting and filing the patent following the correct procedures and via the proper channels. 

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Go to the website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and study carefully how the process works, as you don’t want to fill out an incorrect application form.  This is because there are three patent types you can apply for: design patents (which cover non-functional sections of articles or items, like ornamental shapes), utility patents (inventions with a distinct function), and plant patents (which are secured by those in agriculture and are done for asexually reproducible plants). 

Filing a patent can be done online through the USPTO website, by regular mail, or even by fax.  Note though that you cannot file a patent by e-mail.  It’s also important that one never confuses a patent with other intellectual property right types (copyright, trademark, and trade secret).

Finally, keep in mind that it may take a while for your application to be granted (in some cases, over three years).  So, if you’re filing for a utility patent, it’s safe to say that you’d have a sole patent right for your invention for around 17 years, as this patent type expires after 20 years.

Peter Zieve is a devoted husband, father, entrepreneur, engineer, and leader. As an inventor-innovator, he is the owner of 23 patents, and is the CEO of Electroimpact, Inc. For more posts on invention and innovation, go to this page. 

Greatest inventors of all time

Looking at modern society today, it would be difficult to see the world if it were one less engineering marvel or an invention was never created.  Imagine what the world would be like if the nail were never invented.  How would people build houses and buildings in the past? Would the world reach today’s technological level had the nail not have been invented?  To celebrate these man-made marvels, credit has to be given to the great inventors who have shaped the world with their inventions.  Here are some of the greatest inventors of all time.

Archimedes

Topping the list is one of the greatest Greek philosophers of all time.  Archimedes was also a great mathematician, the first person who was the closest to calculating the value of pi.  But besides this, he also invented several other machines such as siege weapons and the very first death ray which used mirrors to burn the sails of Roman ships.

Nikola Tesla

Although Tesla lived and died in relative obscurity, his inventions and theoretical work have paved the way toward today’s modern society.  His most celebrated works include his patents showing the basis of modern alternating electric power systems which gave birth to commercial electricity.  In his lifetime, Tesla was able to make 111 patents and is considered one of the greatest inventors of all time.

Thomas Edison

A lot of people give Edison credit for the light bulb, but that’s not the only thing he created.  In fact, he is one of the most prolific inventors who had thousands of patents under his name including one for the phonograph. 


Peter Zieve is an inventor and innovator with 23 patents, as well as a devoted husband, father, entrepreneur, engineer, and leader. He is also the founder and CEO of aerospace automation company Electroimpact, Inc. For similar reads, visit this blog.

How curiosity is the first step in invention

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Necessity may be the mother of invention.  But in a high-tech, interconnected world and an amplified need to survive or get ahead of competition in business, what could be more closely linked to invention than natural curiosity?  In an era where innovation and a fresh approach to thinking are a necessity rather than a nice-to-know thought, here are some ways that being curious leads to great new inventions.

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It’s an avenue to learning.

Just being curious with everything that happens in life can become an unparalleled opportunity of learning, experimenting, and experiencing different things and phenomena.  Of course, no experiment leading to a new invention is possible without knowledge, learning, and venturing into the great unknown.

It’s a source of inspiration.

Curiosity begets inspiration, which in turn produces insights, that lead to ideas and later on inventions.  It sets the right environment to entertain an idea and transform it into concrete action that can possibly change the world.

It reduces errors.

Inventors and innovators are frustrated with flaws and try to eradicate them, whether they’re working on a novel product or existing technological systems.  This striving for perfection and excellence begins with something natural in a 5-year-old child: curiosity, or “What can I do to make this object or system better, more efficient, and more beneficial for everyone?”

It fights the status quo.

A lack of curiosity is a dangerous thing in that it means an acceptance of the status quo.  With curiosity there’s little room for complacency and resistance to chance – readily two of the biggest enemies of innovation (and invention). 

Peter Zieve aims to achieve growth in his various ventures. He is a devoted husband, father, entrepreneur, engineer, and leader. He is also the CEO of Electroimpact, Inc., a world leader in design and manufacturing of aerospace tooling and automation. As an inventor, Peter Zieve also has 50 patents under his name. Learn more on this page.

Aerospace Engineering: What Does It Do And Accomplish?

Aerospace, the field of engineering concerned with developing aircraft and spacecraft, encompasses different areas ranging from flight technology to rocket science. Here’s a brief introduction to this field and why it matters in today’s world.

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Aerospace engineering deals with the design and building of machines that fly. It began in the 19th century with the first experiments in powered flight, and as technology improved, specialties surfaced in the form of aeronautical engineering (designing aircraft such as helicopters and gliders) and astronautical engineering (focusing on spacecraft design and development).

Note that the design of a flight vehicle demands knowledge of many engineering disciplines. It is rare that one person takes on the entire task. Instead, organizations hire design teams specializing in aerodynamics, structural design, propulsion systems, avionics, materials, and control systems. Compromised designs integrate the vehicle specifications as well as available technology and economic feasibility.

Aerospace engineering entails in-depth skills and technical understanding of math, physics, materials science, and aerodynamics. Professionals in this area should be familiar with advanced materials and are also increasingly reliant on computer-aided design (CAD) systems for design drafting and modification along with 3D visualization.

Governments are the usual clients of the aerospace industry, as most of these engineers work on designing military vehicles. The biggest demand also comes from transport, missile, spacecraft and general aviation industries. NASA, for instance, employs many of these specialists, and the recent space race among private firms like SpaceX fuel growth and demand for this expertise.

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Peter Zieve is an inventor with 23 patents and the owner of an innovative business. He is the founder and CEO of Electroimpact Inc., a world leader in design and manufacturing of aerospace tooling and automation. The company is a highly experienced aerospace automation company with an exceptional concentration of engineers. Learn more on this page.

Is There Room For Creativity In The World Of Stem?

Apart from the need for air, water, food, clothing, shelter, belonging, and intimacy, every person has the need for creativity. Humans are creative creatures as displayed in painted caves more than 40,000 years ago. With the need for more students to pursue STEM education, will this longing for creativity be filled?

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Most people think there is little to no room for creativity in STEM for its nature being highly analytical. However, experts say that creativity is the secret sauce for fields such as science, technology engineering, and mathematics, which alters “STEM” to “STEAM” with the letter “A” for arts. Just like a special ingredient to one’s favorite meal, STEM without creativity would be lacking in flavor. Researchers observed that play is crucial for productive thought, and that playing with ideas increases learning.

Educators must encourage students to play with concepts to nurture creativity in them, as it offers them numerous entry points and countless ways of engagement. For STEM subjects to not be terrifying for not-so analytic students, teachers sometimes build metaphorical bridges that can help students find confidence in learning subjects they are not exactly gifted in.

Creativity is expressed and experienced in the classroom when metaphors are used effectively, as they are great tools for teaching and learning. The need to use figure of speech when describing scientific terms only proves that a huge chunk of STEM belongs to creativity. Scientists, teachers, and students can understand phrases that could otherwise be otherworldly because of metaphors, as these are thought-mappings. Educators and students must learn to be confident and comfortable with concepts to see and play with them in new ways.

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Peter Zieve is an inventor with 23 patents and the owner of an innovative business. He is the founder and CEO of Electroimpact, Inc., a world leader in design and manufacturing of aerospace tooling and automation. For more updates like this, subscribe to this blog.

Do Automation And Industrial Safety Go Hand-In-Hand?

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Automation greatly reduces the number of people involved in industrial processes. However, does this mean that it’s a safer method of producing goods?

Unlike the legacy systems of yesteryears, today’s automation technology considers risk-assessment in its design to help minimize safety issues. Not only do these machines keep the workplace safe, but they also boost productivity, reduce environmental impact, and diminish downtime.

Fully automated systems are also easier to troubleshoot. Problems are easily diagnosed and fixed as the system relays the information to the controller in a format accessible to the operator, as well as the appropriate action needed to alleviate the problem. This can give workers a fast-enough heads-up if they need to vacate the facility if necessary.

Still, there are concerns with automated systems today that were not present in the old systems. Machine hacking is one of them.

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Because a lot of these automated machines are controlled through a network, it is possible for a cybercriminal to infiltrate the network and wreak havoc. They can initiate a handful of attacks such as changing the settings of the robots, manipulate them, or even shut them down. By doing so, they can skew the quality of the product being produced which can endanger consumers. This can also lead to the machine damaging itself, costing millions of dollars in the process. It can even endanger the lives of those operating these machines.

Peter Zieve is an inventor with 23 patents under his name. He is also the CEO of Electroimpact, Inc., a highly-experienced aerospace automation company with an exceptional concentration of engineers. For similar reads, visit this blog.