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Eureka
Britain's top inventors pick their favourite inventions to celebrate the 150th anniversary of The Patent Office. |
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Trevor Bayliss
Trevor Bayliss is the inventor of the clockwork radio. He travels all over the world giving lectures to individuals interested in inventions, but took time out to tell the Today programme about his favourite, and least favourite, invention.
The Best of British - "Without doubt it has to be Jet Engine designed and developed by a young Frank Whittle, what made this more pertinent is that the Chief Scientist of the day dismissed his work."
And the worst - "The Sinclair C5 has to be amongst the worst inventions that has come off the production-line. The principle is nice, but the practical application has to be questioned. The C5 vehicle was aimed at 16 year old boys. But what 16 year old boy would want to drive a C5 when they could have a motorbike?"
Trevor Baylis O.B.E. was born in Kilburn, London, in 1937 and brought up in Southall, where an education disrupted by the war led to failure at the 11+ exam. At the age of 15 Trevor Bayliss was swimming for Britain and, at 20 years old he started his National Service as a physical training instructor, during which time he swam for the Army and Imperial Services.
Upon leaving the army in 1961, Trevor joined Purley Pools as a salesman where his role quickly progressed to take in research and development. He went on to start his own swimming pool company, along with working as a stuntman on various TV shows.
In 1991, Trevor's gift for invention came into its own when, after seeing a programme about the spread of AIDS in Africa, he set about developing the clockwork radio. His first working prototype ran for 14 minutes and in 1994 was featured on Tomorrow's World.
The product's potential was immediately recognised by corporate finance expert Christopher Staines and South African entrepreneur Rory Stear who together acquired funding and, the following year, set up BayGen Power Industries in Cape Town employing disabled workers to manufacture the Freeplay® wind up radio.
James Dyson
James Dyson says his favourite invention is vulcanised rubber- invented by Charles Goodyear.
Technically it doesn't quite make it into the last 150 years (1839), but he really likes the story of its inventor. Dyson says it is a unique material - it has memory - used in almost every product you can think of.
" But the really sad thing was having made this wonderful invention he then couldn't get a patent, every country saw the strategic importance of it, and refused to grant him a patent, and Charles Goodyear died owing £4m."
James Dyson's least favourite invention is frozen food. He says it removes seasonality from our diet which is a shame and it has accounted for the demise of local produce and allowed big producers to dominate the market.
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John Logie Baird |
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Trevor Bayliss |
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