The history of innovation is as old as the evolution of human race and its civilization. Human brain size and its power gave it a unique edge over other species. Humans emerged as a supreme race and used their intellect to rule all over the earth.
Then, humans began making tools and weapons first of stones and then of metals like bronze and iron. As the sophistication increased in the type of tools used by the humans, their interests shifted from hunting to agriculture. They shed their nomadic lives and began living at a place. This gave rise to establishment of first human civilization.
Most important inventions and new developments made by humans belong to era before a proper human civilization was established. These mainly include inventions of primitive tools, the ability to communicate by speaking, the crop farming and use of animals for domestic purposes, the skill to use and control fire, the ability to make clay pots and utensils and the invention of the wheel.
Trend of keeping written historical records of human civilization began with the invention of writing ability and paper as a medium. The invention of printing machine spread the information about various inventions on large scale in more systematic and concrete manner. People all over the world became able to acquire the written records of ancient inventions and discoveries to use them as a source for more inventions and discoveries.
The Renaissance age in Europe was marked with exchange of many radical and scientific ideas. It led to accumulation of knowledge and technology, giving way to Industrial revolution. More and more inventions started coming up. The society underwent through a complete reorganization. New sections like labor class and middle class emerged on the scene which was open to changes, inventions and innovations.
Inventions in earlier times were generally the work of single individuals. Cases of inventions, where two or more individuals worked independently, only one were recognized leaving the rest in oblivion. English mathematician Sir Isaac Newton and German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm fought acrimoniously for the credit of discovering calculus individually by themselves.
But in current times, discoveries and inventions are generally conducted by large research organizations and supported by many institutions like government and industries. Therefore, taking individual credit has become increasingly difficult. All prominent discoveries and inventions of 20th century have efforts of many groups of leading scientists behind them. Credits for inventions like atom bombs, computer, and development of integrated circuit cannot be given to an individual person.
IMPORTANCE OF INVENTIONS
Inventions arise as a result of changing needs and desires of humans with changing time. In earlier times, the human needs were very basic in nature. Therefore they were happy with the inventions of fire and wheel. However, with time, the human desires changed from simple to complex and their powerful intellect enabled them to dream and fulfill their imagination in the form of more powerful and intricate inventions.
Ability to question existing natural laws, rational thinking and exchange of ideas equipped the humans to go beyond their present means. Many natural occurrences have been behind the ideas of various inventions. Seeing a bird fly in the sky gave humans an inspiration to fly. Unable to fly by themselves, they fulfilled this dream by inventing today’s aero planes and spacecrafts.
Many ideas behind well known inventions came by mistakes and accidents
According to Mark Twain, The accident is “greatest of all inventers.
An incident which testifies the significance of accident in inventions is as follows:
“During world war II, Percy Spencer, an American electrical engineer was working on experiments involving radar. Radar use the strong microwaves produced by equipment called magnetron. During one of the experiments, Spencer accidentally stood near the magnetron. The heat coming out of this equipment was sufficient to melt the candy bar present in the pocket of Spencer. Due to this chance discovery the Spencer learned that microwaves can be used effectively to cook food. This use of microwave was completely new. So, the Spencer was able to patent this use of microwave in 1953.”
There are many such incidences of inventions which can evidently prove the role of mistakes in creating completely new inventions. But this does not mean that any body can make new inventions. The inventions need dedication and perseverance to make them true. The value of unexpected discoveries will be understood only to such people who have spent years to make an invention a reality.
Mark twain also said, “A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.”
DISCOVERY VS INVENTION
DISCOVERY is finding something which already existed in the nature but was not in the human knowledge. For example; America was a country which was discovered. It existed from centuries, but remained unknown to European countries for hundreds of years.
INVENTION, on the other hand, is something conceptualized and created as a result of human intellect. It can be invention of some new use of already existing things in the world.
For example; Cacao tree was discovered in America by European sailors. But the natives of America knew about the uses of the tree from hundreds of years. Cocoa beans were already used by the natives to make some drink. Europeans brought back cocoa beans from America. Europeans found different methods to grind up the beans and then mixed them together with sugar and milk to create coffee. This drink was altogether different use of cocoa beans with different ingredients and in different manner. This new creation can be termed as invention.
“DISCOVERIES ARE NOT PATENTABLE BUT INVENTIONS ARE!”
INVENTION VS INNOVATION
Jan Fagerberg wrote in his 2004 article:“An important distinction is normally made between invention and innovation. Invention is the first occurrence of an idea for a new product or process while innovation is the first attempt to carry it out into practice.”
INVENTION conveys and forwards the things which were unknown to persons skilled in that particular art. It does not matter if the amount of change is large or small. If in a given scenario, a small amount of change is enough to bring large positive benefits to the society which was hidden before and the public and manufacturers are ready enough to accept it with open hands then the change is worth enough to be an invention.
INNOVATION is the mean to understand the practical and commercial utility of any invention. It is the role of innovation to successfully make any invention a part of social mainstream and creating new markets for them. Goal of innovation is to bring positive change and to make someone or something better.
Invention just deals with a single product or process. While, innovation generally constitutes of a blend of products and processes that helps in successful transformation of “new ideas into tangible societal impact.”
One of the best examples of innovation can be sited by IBM PC.
“IBM PC changed the way the society and computer industry worked. Goal was to make a user-friendly, cheap and easy to use at home computers without inventing any change in present framework of computer. For this purpose, IBM solely depended on its internal expertise of a team of people belonging to different disciplines. To make IBM PC a success, extensive advertisements were carried out on TV.”
ALTHOUGH, INNOVATIONS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT INVENTIONS, INVENTIONS HELP IN BRINGING POSITIVE INNOVATION.
