Australia - inventions and inventors

[Rorschach]

The Steerable Torpedo...

Louis Brennan was born in Castlebar, Ireland, and moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1861 with parents. He started his career as a watchmaker and a few years later was articled to Alexander Kennedy Smith, a renowned civil and mechanical engineer of the period.

Brennan invented the idea of a steerable torpedo in 1874, from observing that if a thread is pulled on a reel at an angle with suitable leverage, the reel will move away from the thread side. Brennan spent some years working out his invention, and received a grant of £700 from the Victorian government towards his expenses. He patented the Brennan Torpedo in 1877. The idea was trialled at Camden Fort near Crosshaven, Cork, Ireland.[1]

Brennan went to England in 1880 and brought his invention before the War Office. Sir Andrew Clarke alerted the authorities to the possibilities of the torpedo if used in the defence of harbours and channels, and the patent was eventually bought for a sum believed to be more than £100,000. In 1887 Brennan was appointed superintendent of the Brennan torpedo factory, and was consulting engineer 1896–1907.

[Rorschach]

The "Black Box" Flight Recorder...

Dr David Ronald de Mey Warren AO, BSc (Sydney), PhD (London), DIC, DipEd (Melbourne), FAIE (20 March 1925 – 19 July 2010) was an Australian scientist, best known for inventing and developing the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder (also known as FDR, CVR, and "the black box").

He was the first person to conceive of the idea of recording the flight crew's conversation on an airplane and of protecting that recording in the event of a crash or fire. The purpose of the Black Box was to help identify the reasons for a plane crash, by recording any clues in the flight crew's conversation. The Black Box was invented in 1953 and in production by 1957. The first ones were painted bright red or orange to make them easier to find after a crash. In 1960, Australia became the first country to make flight recorders mandatory in aircraft.

[Rorschach]

Spray-on skin...

In 1999 Professor Fiona Wood from Western Australia patented her spray-on skin technique. The innovation involves taking a small patch of the victim's healthy skin and using it to grow new skin cells in a laboratory. The new skin cells are then sprayed on the victim's damaged skin. This process significantly reduces recovery time and scarring. Fiona and her spray-on skin technique played a key role in treating burns victims from the 2002 Bali bombings. Fiona and her team are credited with saving the lives of 28 people.

[Rorschach]

The Electronic Pacemaker...

In 1926 Dr Mark Lidwill made an impromptu pacemaker at Sydney's Crown Street Women's Hospital. A newborn patient was suffering from heart problems, so Mark connected the baby's heart to electrodes which stimulated the heartbeat with electric pulses. Concerned about the ethical issues involved with his invention, Mark declined recognition and patents for his invention that has saved many people throughout the world.

[Rorschach]

The Electric Drill...

In 1889 Australian electrical engineer Arthur James Arnot patented the world's first electric drill. The invention was originally designed to drill rock and dig coal.

[Rorschach]

The Medical application of Penicillin...

In 1939 Howard Florey, with a team of scientists, purified penicillin from a special strain of mould. The team demonstrated penicillin's ability to fight bacterial infection in mice and, later, humans. The antibiotic was mass produced and used to aid victims of World War II. Penicillin has been used around the world saving many lives through the combating of infection by common bacteria. Today, it is still widely used in combating infections, but its efficacy is at risk from the growing resistance to the antibiotic.