Now, some of the best are being showcased in a traveling exhibit sponsored by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation and the History Channel. The “top 25 inventions of 2007” just opened in the Technology Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif. It will travel to St. Louis, Orlando, Fla., and New York, before going home to the Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio, where one finalist will win $25,000.
The projects are a diverse lot. For example, there’s the X-Finger, an artificial finger developed by Dan Didrick, a Floridian inspired by a deaf finger amputee who needed to use sign language. There’s also the AquaSkipper, a human-powered flapping-wings device that allows users to propel themselves across water. Its Washington state inventor, Shane Chen, says he really wanted his invention to fly, but thought it safer to start testing at sea level.
All contestants must have patent applications in the works to qualify for the road show to avoid any possibility of ideas’ being stolen. But that doesn’t mean that designs couldn’t be bought. Such companies as Sharper Image and Lexus are sponsoring the contest and road show—possibly to be in position to scoop up the next big thing.
