COLOR BLIND INVENTION
Although African American Inventors Have Profoundly Influenced Our Daily Lives, They Have Remained Far From the Spotlight. It's Time to Change All That.
By Mike Foley
As a child, Lonnie Johnson loved toys. Not so unusual, right? We can all say that--for kids, toys are the focus of existence, a reason for living, a way to stave off boredom and ensure a life of fun forever.
Alas--for most of us, that enthusiasm tends to dwindle with age. But not for Johnson, an African American and President of Johnson Research and Development in Smyrna, Georgia. Johnson's passion for toys has spawned more than 20 patents for environmentally-friendly devices, including the popular Super Soaker. That toy alone has amassed retail sales in excess of $100 million and has been hailed as the most successful toy water gun ever.
But it's easy to become lost in the dollar figures and success stories, while ignoring the contributions of Johnson and other African Americans. Those contributions have been significant, impacting the way we live as we enter the 21st century. In honor of Black History Month, let's take a look at a few noted African American inventors and how their work has influenced our lives.
1. Gasoline--The 1960s saw several substantial improvements in fuel compositions for the standard internal combustion engine. African American Ernest Jamieson was responsible for adding critical elements that prevent corrosion and icing in the carburetor. The enhanced water tolerance and rust prevention resulted in improvements in everyday engine performance.
2. 3-D Viewing--How do 3-D viewing glasses work? How to do create that interesting visual effect? African American Kenneth Dunkley became interested in human vision and discovered two peripheral vision points in the eye that, when obstructed, would bring a three-dimensional effect to an ordinary photograph. Based on Dunkley's work, the glasses were developed, allowing 3-D a viewpoint without special lenses or visual effects.
3. Eye Surgery--Dedicated to the treatment and prevention of blindness in African Americans, Dr. Patricia Bath revolutionized cataract surgery with the invention of the Laserphaco Probe, a laser that significantly improved the results of such surgery. Bath holds several patents on the invention and continues to refine it.
4. Fiber Optics--Dr. Thomas Mensah's work in fiber optics help develop the laser-guided weapon so prominent during the Gulf War. The African American entrepreneur holds seven patents in fiber optics, including several that cover inexpensive manufacturing of fiber optic material. Such cost saving will impact electronic banking and fax communications into the new century.
5. Power--As a research scientist for NASA, Dr. Joycelyn Simpson helped develop a class of high performance piezoelectric polymers that generate electricity when pressure is applied. The material could improve power generation and provide new, low-cost sources of power which are also environmentally safe. For example, if such polymers covered five square miles and were pressured by ocean waves or wind, they could conceivably supply electricity for 7.5 million people at a few cents per kilo-watt hour.
6. Computers--Dr. Philip Emeagwali, a research scientist and inventor from St. Paul, Minnesota, developed a computer that emulated bees' honeycomb and performed 3.1 billion calculations per second. The computers are currently being used to forecast weather and predict global warming.
7. Printing--African American inventor Kedrich Jackson, a design engineer for Hewlett Packard, was instrumental in the development of HP's DeskJet 850C and 855C. Faced with delays due to the printer's high noise level, Jackson developed a spur gear to dampen vibration and its resulting noise. In addition, Jackson contributed to the development of new methods to improve print quality.
The Dream Merchant salutes the above inventors and their contributions to our daily lives. For more information on African American inventors, contact the Black Inventions Museum, P.O. Box 76122, Los Angeles, CA 90076.
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