If you look around, surely the find. Are inventions that revolutionized the world. In some cases lives saved. In others, simply the better. On International Women’s Day, we present 11 inventions or technologies developed by them.
1) urine test to monitor diabetes
The work in the field of chemistry conducted by American scientist Helen Free, 93, revolutionized tests to diagnose disease and detect pregnancy.
Free developed, along with her husband, Alfred, the strips that are used throughout the world to monitor diabetes to reveal the presence of glucose in the urine in the patient.
chemicals Equipped with these strips a few millimeters wide have a reaction to contact with compounds present in urine.
Born in 1923, the researcher released his invention on the market with the name of Clinistix, a technology that represents a major breakthrough in rapid and effective testing not only urine, but also blood.
2) Orphan drug against leukemia
According to the Inventors Hall of Fame of the United States, the American Gertrude B. Ellion (1918-1999) invented the drug against leukemia known as 6-mercaptopurine and pharmaceutical innovations that facilitated kidney transplantation.
Born in a family of Lithuanian immigrants, biochemistry began investigating the disease. His research led to the development not only of the 6-mercatopurina, as well as another drug, 6-thioguanine.
“The expansion of his research led to Imuran, a derivative of 6-mercatopurina that prevented rejection by the body of external tissues. Used with other medicines, Imuran allowed kidney transplants between people who were not relatives, “the Hall of Inventors of Fame.
Ellion also led the team that developed medicines for treat gout and an antiviral to combat infections caused by the herpes virus.
in 1988, the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to her, James W. Black and George H. Hitchings “for his discoveries about key principles of treatments with medication. “
” By chance, I met a chemist who was looking for a lab assistant. yet he could not pay me a salary at this time, I decided that the experience was worth it “I said in an autobiographical text published on the website of the Nobel prize.
” I was there a year and a half, and finally went on to win the amazing amount of $ 20 (in today’s dollars, US $ 338, or R $ 1,278) per week. Had saved a little money and, with the help of my parents, I entered graduate school at New York University in the fall of 1939. It was the only woman in chemistry class, but nobody seemed to care. “
3) method for improving photographic negatives
in 1978, the Association for the Advancement of Inventions and Innovations of the United States elected Barbara S. Askins chemistry, today with 77 years as the inventor of the year for creating a process to retrieve the details of negatives that had been underexposed.
in the same year, the researcher has patented his invention, which allowed improve photos using radioactive materials . NASA’d hired in 1975 to find a better way to reveal astronomical and geological photos taken from space and obtain images in which the details could be seen clearly instead of blurred or poorly defined.
Without their technology, NASA says on their official website, these images would be useless. His invention was “so successful that its use has expanded beyond the space agency and was tapped in obtaining improvements in X-rays and in the restoration of old photos”.
4) ‘Calculator graphic ‘to solve power transmission problems
Edith Clarke (1883- 1959) is considered a pioneer of electrical and computer engineering. She was the first electrical engineer to be employed professionally in the United States and the first teacher full time in this area in the country.
“He invented a graphing calculator which simplified to determine the electrical characteristics of long transmission lines Electricity “, indicates the Hall of the US Inventors of Fame.
Clarke was an authority in the handling of hyperbolic functions, equivalent circuits, graphical analysis and electrical systems. The scientist patented Clarke calculator in 1925.
“His career had a central theme the development and dissemination of mathematical methods that simplified and reduced the time spent on complicated calculations to solve design problems and system operation electric power, “explains James E. Brittain in test Computer to electrical Engineering. the extraordinary career of Edith Clarke
” She translated what many engineers saw as esoteric mathematical methods in graphics or more forms simple, at a time when the energy systems became more complex. “
5) Glass no effect
s research Katharine Blodgett (1898 -1979) and Irving Langmuir created a new scientific discipline to experiment with organic films with one molecule thick that had practical applications in fields as varied as the conversion of solar energy and manufacture of integrated circuits.
“As Langmuir assistant at General Electric, Blodgett continued the discovery of Langmuir, consisting of a single layer of water surface that could be transferred to a solid substrate. Years later, she found that the process could be repeated to create a stack of multiple layers of any thickness, “explains Hall of Fame Inventors of the United States.
First woman to get a PhD in Physics in University of Cambridge, UK, Blodgett deepened his work and created anti-reflective coatings for glass surfaces. This made produce, as highlighted by the Hall, the first glass “truly invisible.”
his invention, known as Langmuir-Blodgett film was patented in the United States in 1940. “glass reflection eliminated without distortion of light that existed in various optical devices, including sun lenses, telescopes, microscopes, cameras and projectors.”
6) molecular sieves for petroleum refining
There’s no talk of Edith Flanigen not to mention the discovery of more efficient, cleaner and safer ways to refine oil. in fact, his invention was a key player in the production of gasoline in the world.
in 1956, the American chemical “began working on the emerging technology of molecular sieves, microporous crystalline structures,” explains Hall of Fame Inventors of the United States.
“These compounds can be used to purify and separate complex mixtures, catalyze or accelerate the rate of reactions of hydrocarbons and have a wide application in oil refining and the petrochemical industries.”
in 2004, the Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT, its acronym in English) gave her the Lemelson-MIT award for revolutionary effects of this technology.
Flanigen led a team of inventors who discovered “more than a dozen molecular sieves structures and 200 compositions, many of which were sold in the oil refining and petrochemical processes to reduce energy costs and industrial waste,” said MIT.
at 87, Flaningen currently holds 108 patents in the United States, and between their research were applied in water purification and environmental sanitation.
7) machine to make paper bags
Owner of 26 patents granted between 1870 and 1915, the American Margaret Knight (1838-1914) went down in history for having invented a machine to manufacture flat-bottomed paper bags.
“the invention revolutionized the paper bags industry to replace the work of 30 people by a single machine,” says Hall of Fame Inventors of the United States.
automatically, the machine cut paper, folded and joined parts to create the bag. “Before its invention, the flat bottom bags could only be done manually and with a high cost.”
His invention was used throughout the world and allowed the mass production of this type of bag. A variation of his machine was still in use at the end of the 20th century.
8) Disposable Nappy
In 1951, was awarded to American architect Marion Donovan (1917-1998 .) a patent for a waterproof cover for diapers, which meant it got recognized worldwide as the “mother of disposable diapers”
When she died, the New York Times wrote in his obituary: ” was 81 years old and had helped spearhead an industrial and domestic revolution by inventing the forerunner of the disposable diaper. “
” Motivated by frustrating and repetitive task to swap the dirty cloth diapers, clothing and linens his son, Donovan create a cover for the diaper that allowed keep your baby dry, “says Hall of the US Inventors of Fame.
” Unlike other products on the market, its been done with a screen that allowed the baby’s skin breathe and also included buttons instead of pins. “
Donovan named his invention as” Boater “, but at first he was rejected by manufacturers. For this reason, it began marketing the cover on its own and, after receiving the patent, sold it to a company for $ 1 million in values of the time.
Years later, Victor Mills industrial engineer , Procter & amp; Gamble, lead the team that made the first disposable diaper as we know it today.
9) Maritime Flags
“At a time when women did not seem to do anything in addition to tidy up the house and raising children, Martha Coston was busy saving lives to improve nighttime maritime flags, “says the book the Invention of Martha Coston, Holly Cefrey.
Coston (1826-1904) He developed a system of red pyrotechnic lights, white and green based on sketches left by her husband before he died, so that the ships could communicate with each other and with staff on the ground in the darkness and the great distances.
She spent ten years developing the technology before patenting it and sold it to the US Navy. “The system has a Union decided advantage in the Civil War and Coston company founded to produce the flags, operated until the end of the 20th century,” explains Hall of the US Inventors of Fame.
“the codes and signaling system was used by the emergency service and the meteorological service of the United States military institutions in England, France, Holland, Italy, Austria, Denmark and Brazil, merchant ships and private yachts.”
10) windscreen wiper
Mary Anderson (1866-1953) had the idea to create the windshield wiper while traveling on a tram for New York in a day snow in the early 20th century.
“Anderson noted that drivers had to often open their windows to be able to see through the unforgiving climate. often, they had to stop the tram and get off the car to clean the window, “says Hall of the US Inventors of Fame.
” His idea was a lever inside the vehicle which controlled a mechanical arm equipped with a rubber brush. The lever moved the brush through the windshield to remove rain or snow. “According to Hall, with a patent granted in 1903, the invention became the first effective system to clean the windshield.
11) superfibra Kevlar
Stephanie Kwolek (1923-2014) was an American chemical of Polish origin, in 1965, found an amazing variety of liquid crystalline polymers.
housewife 17 patents, the scientist “specialized processes at low temperatures for the creation of long molecular chains, which led to the discovery of synthetic fibers the basis of high strength and rigidity oil” indicates the Hall US Inventors of fame.
the most famous fiber resulting from these surveys was to Kevlar, five times stronger polymer than steel. it is a high-strength fabric that is used to make hundreds products, such as vests bulletproof, fiber optic cables, airplane parts and ship hulls.
“I knew I had made a discovery,” Kwolek said in an interview. “I shouted ‘eureka’, but I was very excited, as everyone in the laboratory, because we are facing something new and different.” In addition to saving lives, the mighty fabric generates hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in sales derived products around the world.
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