Inventors

Photo-luminescence by definition is the emission of light from a molecule or atom that has absorbed electromagnetic energy: examples include fluorescence and phosphorescence materials. Photo-luminescence spectroscopy is a contact-less, nondestructive method of probing the electronic structure of materials.

The photo to the right depicts photo-luminescence materials spread on 7-inch wide roll. This is from a patent pending technology developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that uses small organic molecule materials to create organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) and other electronics. Proof-of-principle of the technique has been demonstrated by successfully coating the small molecule Alq3 on a PET substrate (photo). The method may also be used to produce "patterned" electronic thin-film devices in which an active small molecule organic material is selectively deposited on a substrate to form a pattern appropriate for the operation of the device. Photo: Department of Energy

History of Glow in the Dark
Glow in the dark powders, glow sticks, ropes etc. are all fun examples of photo-luminescence. Phosphorus and its various compounds are phosphorescents, or materials that glow in the dark. Before knowing what phosphorus was, its glowing properties have been reported in ancient writings. The oldest known written observations were made in China, dating back to 1000 B.C. regarding fireflies and glow-worms. In 1602, Vincenzo Casciarolo, discovered the phosphorus glowing "Bolognian Stones" just outside of Bologna that started the first scientific study of photo-luminescence.

Phosphorus was first isolated in 1669 by German physician Hennig Brand. Brand was an alchemist who was attempting to change metals into gold when he isolated phosphorus. All glow in the dark products contain phosphor. To make a glow in the dark toy, toy makers use a phosphor that is energized by normal light and that has a very long persistence - the length of time it glows. Zinc Sulfide and Strontium Aluminate are the two most commonly used phosphors.

Scientists in Taiwan say they have bred three pigs that "glow in the dark".

Well, just slightly radioactive. According to a BBC News report, the world's first ATM was installed in a branch of Barclays in Enfield, North London. At that time plastic atm cards did not exist. The Barclay atm machine took checks that were impregnated with carbon 14, a slightly radioactive substance. To learn about an invention with real radioactivity try the atomic bomb. Photo Credit:  stock.xchng/Andy Culpin

National Inventors Month which used to be held in August is now being held in May. The senate had agreed to the switch after appeals made by Edison Nation and Inventors Digest, supporters and founders of National Inventors Month. August traditionally has been National Inventors Month. The move to May better aligns with the academic calendar, explained Inventors Digest Editor Mike Drummond.

"The move allows more opportunities for youth K-12 to become aware of the vital contributions inventors have made and continue to make to society," Drummond said, "as well as to more broadly celebrate and foster the spirit and practice of innovation."

• National Inventors Month
• National Inventors Month - Poster
• Why We're Moving National Inventors Month

Some times it is the simplest things in life that we take for granted. For example, have you ever wondered just How A Telephone Works?

You might find this in some way encouraging, the facts are that  many inventions that are now famous and have achieved a tremendous amount of success, were once ridiculed and laughed at. That's right. The telephone, television, radio, movies, computers, lightbulbs, and the airplane were all predicted to fail. So maybe, if they are laughing at what you are inventing today, tomorrow will prove them all wrong. Photo credit: Jeffrey Coolidge/Getty Images

• Bad Predictions About Good Inventions

"All bibles are man-made."

"I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us, everything that exists, proves that there are infinite laws behind it. There can be no denying this fact. It is mathematical in its precision."

And whose last words in life before dying were, "It is very beautiful over there."

The answer may surprise you. Find Out Who Now

Americans eat approximately 350 slices of pizza per second. And 36 percent of those pizza slices are pepperoni slices, making pepperoni the number one choice among pizza toppings in the United States. However, in India pickled ginger, minced mutton, and paneer cheese are the favorite toppings for pizza slices. In Japan, Mayo Jaga (a combination of mayonnaise, potato and bacon), eel, and squid are the favorites. Green peas rock Brazilian pizza shops and Russians love red herring pizza.

Considered a peasants meal in Italy for centuries - modern pizza is attributed to baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples. The first pizzeria in North America was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi at 53 1/3 Spring Street in New York City. Photo Credit: Stock.xchng

• History of Pizza
• That Circular Thing That Keeps the Pizza From Hitting the Box Top
• Pizza Related Inventions Photo Gallery
• History of Food and Food Products

Deadline August 1, 2013

The James Dyson Award is an international student design award running in 18 countries. It's run by the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson's charitable trust, as part of its mission to encourage the next generation of design engineers to be creative, challenge and invent.

• THE BRIEF: design something that solves a problem.
• THE PRIZE: £10,000 to you and £10,000 to your university department.
• Entry Details
• See James Dyson Talk About Award
• Profile James Dyson
• History of Vacuum Cleaners

"I want to celebrate young, inventive problem solvers who are unafraid to question. It's these minds that will solve the challenges of the future." - Sir James Dyson

Photo Courtesy of Dyson

You may or may not know this but our seas, large rivers, and oceans have navigational aids that operate for the waters much like our streetlights and street signs do for our roads. They help us get where we are going and prevent accidents. Photo: illuminated lighthouse on cliff at dusk Getty Images/Grant Faint

• Invention of Lighthouses & Buoys
• Invention of Roads, Street Lights & Parking Meters

Imagine this, a wheelchair bound patient controls a robotic arm without uttering a word or pushing a button. Yet, the robotic arm moves and does their bidding. How? The patient is controlling the robot with their thoughts. Sounds like science fiction right? But guess what? It's science fact - not fiction.

John Donoghue invented a technology beyond belief for a company called BrainGate. A real patient in a wheelchair had the BrainGate device implanted into their brain and hooked to a computer to which they sent mental commands that resulted in the machine doing what they wanted it to. The new technology is called BCI or brain-computer interface, and BrainGate is a major player in this new field. Illustration USPTO

And where is this technology heading? I think to one amazing place. This is what BrainGate has to say.

Advanced prosthetic devices are currently controlled with mechanical switches; however, we [BrainGate] believe that once perfected, implanted neural interfaces will provide a more natural control of these devices. Using brain signals to control movement should enable more real-time responses and allow for more complex use of these artificial limbs. BrainGate envisions a technology that bridges the gap between the brain and the limb. If  the patient still has the ability to "think" about movement, BrainGate has the potential to interpret and re-connect those signals, thus allowing the patient to move those limbs simply by thinking about it.

• Watch the video - BrainGate lets your brain control the computer
• Visit BrainGate
• Profile of John Donoghue