Ever since the 18th century, when Volta and Galvani were doing unspeakable things to frogs legs, inventors have been on the quest to improve the humble battery. At present there is a huge amount of effort and expenditure being channelled into research and development - with public thanks, acclaim and huge riches at stake. The global market for lithium-ion batteries is predicted to be over $76billion by 2020. The first development, to catch my eye recently, was news from Sta

Last month the USPTO presented their prestigious Patents for Humanity Award to three scientists – Prof Ingo Potrykus, Prof Peter Beyer and Dr Adrian Dubock – for their outstanding work in developing Golden Rice. This new foodstuff is genetically engineered to produce beta carotene and provide a source of vitamin A for people who eat rice as a major part of their diet. The Patents for Humanity USPTO programme recognises the work of those trying to “improve global health and

The British Female Inventor and Innovator the Year (BFIIN) is now in its 13th year. Entry is now open and nominations are sought. Closing date for entries is 1st July. These prestigious awards will be presented at a glitzy ceremony in London on 14th October 2015. This is an open competition bringing together and putting the spotlight on incredible top inventive and innovative women from across Britain. The emphasis is on exceptionally creative items, inventions and innovat

John Harrison is world famous for winning the Longitude Prize by inventing clocks of unparalleled accuracy. In his later years he left instructions on how to build a clock that would be accurate to one second in every hundred days. At the time this was a ludicrous claim – the best clocks were only capable of a second a week when working at optimum performance. Three hundred years ago, Harrison’s obscure written instructions were dismissed as “the ramblings of superannuated