It makes sense…because of the nature of gunpowder and other ingredients, fireworks can’t be mass-produced by means of automation, as even the tiniest spark from any machine could cause a catastrophic explosion. Before you watch your favorite fireworks display, take a look at how these fascinating little rockets are made:

First, The Main Fuse…

The basic construction of a firework is an exterior shell with several separate compartments. The burning fuse explodes one compartment at a time, creating those staggered bursts you see in the sky. For safety, the naturally colorless glue used throughout production is tinted blue while liquid but dries clear. The first compartment of the firework is the lift charge, a gunpowder bag with a long, fast-action fuse placed at the base of the shell that launches the firework about 1000 feet into the air. While the first compartment dries, the second compartment is built, where a powdered explosive is spooned into the center and then capped. A brown cardboard shock absorber is added to shield this section from the first compartment explosion, followed by a corrugated cardboard disc and a plastic spacer.

These barriers allow approximately one and a half seconds for the fuse to burn through these two components, creating a slight delay between the explosion of the first and the second compartments. Gluing the second compartment together is tricky: if it’s too tight it’ll stifle the explosion, but it also has to be tight enough to withstand the delay.

Next, Stars and Comets…

A sleeve is glued onto a case, then filled with hundreds of stars. Stars are carefully formulated and measured explosives that give the firework its beautiful flashes of color (fitting name, right?). Coloring agents range from magnesium for white, to copper salts for blue, to charcoal for orange. These are very delicate and must be handled carefully, or they could detonate.  Comets (which leave the long trail of sparks) are then added to give another dimension of decoration to the firework.

Finally, the two compartments are assembled and the remaining space is filled with the same combination of ingredients. Once the shell is full, the cover is glued into place. The tighter the seal on the compartments, the more the internal pressure will build…which makes for a more spectacular explosion.

Ready to Launch

The lift charge, which was created first and dried while the other compartments were being built, is now ready to be placed at the base of the shell.  At this point, the fireworks are wrapped in craft paper and a label using international color codes identifies the size and type of shell to the pyrotechnic engineer who will set up the display.

Finally, Thank Your Local Fireworks Pyrotechnician

We know what you’re thinking… “That’s fascinating, but how do all those explosives dazzle the audience?” The actual choreography of the display is thanks to a fireworks pyrotechnician, but the basic delivery is the same: When the computer system sends the electrical pulse that lights the main fuse, it starts a chain reaction. The secondary fuse running down the outside of the shell will ignite the lift charge, sending the firework almost 1,000 feet into the sky. Meanwhile, the time-delayed fuse inside the shell burns a few seconds slower, allowing the firework to reach altitude before detonating the gunpowder, comets, and stars for a bright, sparkling, almost magical display that, upon viewing, can’t help but leave the audience feeling a little more patriotic.

The post Invention Spotlight: Fireworks appeared first on Inventionland.

Debbie Glickman

This innovative Mom created a “Monster Repellent” and other imaginative aromatherapy sprays to help calm various childhood anxieties. She first got the idea for the product when her three-year-old son was moving to his ‘big boy bed’. The transition made him anxious so he’d want to sleep in his parent’s room instead. Knowing that lavender was generally a soothing scent, she found a lavender spray and told him it would keep the monsters away. Seeing how much the spray helped him in this transition period, so she decided to turn her idea into a company. She spent some time researching different childhood fears and pairing them with soothing scents and ended up developing her company- Fairytale Wishes Inc. She first began her company in 2008 and in 2009 she made $10,000 from her products. In 2010 she made $24,000 and today her products are sold in several stores throughout the country.

Pazit Ben-Ezri

Another truly imaginative Mommy, Pazit Ben-Ezri, got the idea for her invention when her three-month-old son couldn’t sleep unless he was in his crib. It became so difficult to put him down for a nap when they were on the go that Ben-Ezri stopped going out at all. So she designed a small cushion with handles that would fit in her son’s crib but could be removed to take him on errands. Once she created her prototype and began using it, lots of other Moms gave her compliments and expressed interest in her product. After sending out test copies and getting feedback, she created her own company called LulyBoo LLC. Not only has she now sold thousands of products, but the company has also developed a whole line of travel-friendly baby products.

Erin Galloway

Erin Galloway, an active mommy-on-the-go, has been working to create a community for moms who want to find time to be more active. As a parent, she empathized with the struggle to make time to exercise when your day is full of cleaning crumbs and changing diapers. With a Master’s Degree in Child Development and Family Science as well as 20 years managing education initiatives for The Ohio State University and Johns Hopkins, she was ready to put her innovative skills to the test by launching two social media communities to help motivate fellow Mom’s – Pump the Bump and Sweaty Mom Survival. Collectively, these platforms have 62,000+ members. She has already shared several activities to help kickstart interactive exercises, but her latest innovation is her very own invention: The Kettlemate. This is a plush kid-sized kettlebell that allows your kids to exercise right along with you. The Kettlemate line will include several characters with different personalities to be used for different types of exercise and health-related activities.

We were able to sit down with Erin so she could tell us a bit more about her revolutionary product, which just launched its own Kickstarter campaign:

Inventionland (IL): What inspired you to invent The Kettlemate?

Erin Galloway (EG): My 3 main sources of inspiration were:

1) The women I met while curating stories and sharing motivation through my Pump the Bump Instagram account. What started out as a fun social account transformed into an inspirational community of women who wanted to maintain an active pregnancy. By the time I was 5 years into managing the community, moms were sharing how they were struggling to stay active and I knew I needed to offer a solution.

2) My degrees and professional background are in child development so I naturally see the ways in which fitness can be an outlet to incorporate early childhood developmental components that could motivate both mom and child. I thought that if I could help moms see how their child was learning, they would be more likely to feel good about fitting fitness into their family routines.

3) My daughter inspired me to launch Pump the Bump during my pregnancy, Sweaty Mommy Survival after she turned 2, and then the Kettlemate as a preschooler. She enjoyed spending time being active together and always cheers me on when I doubt myself. After I created the prototype for the Kettlemate, she wasn’t going to let me back out. She told me to “go be brave mommy” when I said I was scared to create a video and try to sell the Kettlemate to strangers. Her words let me know I was headed down the path I was meant to go down.

IL: What was the hardest part of the inventing process?

EG: The legal aspects intimidate me the most. What documents do I need, what should I apply for first, where is the biggest risk if I don’t put a legal structure in place, etc. I do not have a business background so I am learning as I go and that’s a risky way to learn.

IL: What was the most rewarding part of the inventing process?

EG: The process has taught me about the power of the human connection. I have been consistently amazed by people who offered me a hand when I never expected it. Strangers, friends, friends of friends, etc. who have continued to make my dream possible including:

• Business owners who gave me access to their contacts
• Friends who called in favors on my behalf
• Artists who charged lower fees than they could have
• Childhood friends who helped spread the word about my Kickstarter campaign that I never even knew were paying attention to what I was doing.

I could not be this far in my journey without asking for help and allowing people to support me in the best ways they knew how. The power of paying it forward has come through me and passes on to other women who feel inspired by my story.

IL: What’s your favorite thing about being a Mom?

EG: Rediscovering the world through her eyes. She reminds me to keep things simple, don’t assume adults know the right answers, and to ALWAYS ask more questions.

IL: What’s your favorite activity to do with your daughter and why?

EG: We love baking together. She’s had her own “knife set” since she was 2 and started helping me with weekly meal prep as a Sunday activity. The time in our kitchen, and exploring farmers markets, eventually evolved into a passion for baking. Instead of Saturday morning cartoons, we watch baking shows. Before she was 3, she already started creating her own business, researched about requirements to operate a store, brainstormed what inventory she will have, etc. It gives us something fun to talk about over dinner, research on Google… and of course do lots of taste testing.

IL: What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

EG: I recently moved back to Ohio so spending time with college friends and family is a favorite thing. Watching my friends, and their kids, grow up via FaceTime and Facebook photos thousands of miles away was difficult. Now watching our kids play together while hanging on a back porch with some wine truly brings me joy.

IL: Any advice for fellow inventor parents?

EG: Involve your kids in the process. There is so much a child can learn from hearing your thought process and lessons learned that they could never learn in school. The critical thinking skills required to be an inventor is transferable to every aspect of their life. PLUS on the low days, they are always there to motivate you to keep going because innocence is bliss.

IL: What’s next for you?

EG: I intend to build an entire world of family-friendly fitness products for children 0-12 (books, games, puzzles, etc) and I want to make them available in uncommon places like grocery stores, restaurants, pediatric offices, etc. If I can help families reduce the screen time and increase the “we time,”, families with have tighter bonds and deeper connections that make parenting through all life stages much easier.

The post Mothers of Innovation appeared first on Inventionland.

The weeds that Katrina Cornish and her team are attempting to sprout aren’t your average weeds; instead, they are a special variety of dandelion from Kazakhstan – nicknamed Buckeye Gold. This variety of dandelion could be the key to revolutionizing the rubber industry, an industry that is responsible for contributing tremendously to our overall carbon footprint.

Although it may look like a normal dandelion on the surface, the Buckeye Gold dandelion has special roots which contain nearly 10-15% natural rubber. The goal of Cornish and her team’s research is to successfully cultivate the crop so that it can be utilized by the rubber industry as an alternative to rubber trees.

Rubber trees currently grow in far-off countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Taking years to grow, rubber trees aren’t the best rubber source, causing the industry to produce petroleum-based rubber that has a substantial carbon footprint. Plus, transporting this rubber from foreign countries to the United States costs the industry a fortune and emits a lot of greenhouse gasses in the process.

Buckeye Gold offers the perfect solution for rubber manufacturers because it can be grown locally and has a much faster maturity rate than rubber trees. Current agriculture methods make this crop difficult to cultivate in our climate; therefore, it becomes widely overlooked by rubber manufacturers who are looking to produce as much rubber as possible in a short amount of time.

Cornish and her team are just one of the many research teams looking to genetically modify this plant so that it becomes a sensible solution for rubber manufacturers. By introducing a genetically engineered gene to the Buckeye Gold, researchers hope to create a hybrid that can withstand disease and United States pest control measures.

With their work cut out for them, only time will tell if Buckeye Gold will hold up to its reputation as being one of the most sustainable plants capable of limiting our carbon footprint.

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Janes and his team hit the ground running one morning in their Saskatoon-based production facility when they began erecting a 3D printer of a magnitude the world had never seen.  The production floor was buzzing as the team constructed a printer that would dwarf all other printers in his collection.

Finally, despite a few hiccups in the initial process, the printer came to life, beginning its 230-hour journey toward completing something that would open new doors for the 3D printing industry.

Nine-and-a-half days passed and the team stared in utter disbelief at the engineering marvel that stood before them. Stretching 13 feet long and six feet wide, Janes’ team had successfully printed the world’s first 3D printed camping trailer.

Weighing 600 pounds, it was the largest 3D printed structure to date, made entirely of one piece. Its immense stature naturally stirred up the 3D printing world as reporters flocked to his factory to witness the one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

“It’s kind of surreal” stated Janes. “If you’re familiar with 3D printing, a little table top item that’s five inches tall can take upwards of one day. I just printed an entire trailer in just over a week.”

The trailer still needs to be outfitted with appliances and furnishings; however, it’s safe to say that this project is going to lead way to an entirely new industry of 3D printing. The ability to produce livable structures using only 3D printing technology can open new doors for affordable housing solutions.

Janes and his company, Wave of the Future 3D, had carried out countless 3D printing projects before. They were willing to put their skills to the test and help change the world.

The post 3D Printing – Endless Innovation appeared first on Inventionland.

This one-day workshop walked teachers through the new and exciting activities we have incorporated in our education courseware over the past few months!

Splitting off into teams, the teachers spread out across Inventionland to participate in numerous activities including our Pipe-cleaner Challenge, Hot Lava Challenge, and Penny Boat Challenge, just to name a few. These activities were designed to help engage students in fun activities while simultaneously teaching them valuable lessons.

Activities like this revolve around our “edu-tainmen” philosophy. Edu-tainment incorporates education and entertainment to ensure a fun learning experience that will keep a child’s attention, without them getting bored. Often times students will “zone out” and become distracted when they feel they are not in control of the activity, therefore we have come up with ways to keep them engaged and immersed in what they are learning!

“It’s important that our educators understand how these activities will engage and benefit the students,” said our Executive Director of Inventionland Institute, Nathan.

Making sure the teachers fully understand our courseware is a crucial element to ensuring the overall success of the course for students. It’s reasons like this why we hold these workshops in the first place!

Not only does it benefit the student, it also benefits the teacher. We make sure that all of the teachers who teach our courseware are comfortable with the material at hand and answer any questions they may have. These workshops are also forms of edu-tainment for the teachers as well!

Be on the lookout for more ‘Day of Innovation” workshops coming in the future! If you would like to receive updates on when these workshops will take place, sign up for our monthly education newsletter, here.

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Mr. Davison spoke with the students about Inventionland, and what it takes to create new products. He walked them through the process of how to identify a problem, find a solution, and the steps to take in order to pursue that solution.

This interactive presentation led to Mr. Davison presenting the class with a project. Over the summer the school is remodeling, and they want the 5th-grade class to come up with a better way of notifying the rest of the school when the nurse is not in her office. Right off the bat, the students couldn’t contain their excitement and ideas!

“I was shocked by how many questions they had!” stated Mr. Davison. The students were very enthusiastic and eager to participate in this presentation. Mr. Davison also brought with him product samples and tech drawings for the Bag Stor, which he passed around so that the students could see how the inventing process works. Many students had suggestions for making the Bag Stor better, including adding sparkles or polka-dots so that it is more appealing.

Overall, the trip to the school was a success in inspiring young innovators! Stay tuned for more news on how the Inventionland Innovation course is soon to be incorporated with the younger grade levels!

Copyright Inventionland, 2017 

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At the core of this celebration is innovation and National Innovation Day was created to encourage children and young people alike to not only be creative, but also innovative, too.

Every year on February 16, a celebration is held to recognize innovation and this year, we want to focus on the ingenuity and creativity that’s seen through the lens of idea people with different backgrounds.

Young Minds

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math make up the acronym STEM. Now more than ever, we’re seeing young minds being challenged – in a good way. Applying all four of these subjects into course lessons is, in turn, challenging these young adults to think outside-of-the-box and to channel their creativity and imagination to discover new innovation.  Just take our friends at the Inventionland Institute for example.  This project-based course introduces students to the critical entrepreneurial skills that are needed to succeed in the 21^st century, all while working to “Inspire the creator within.”  It’s through guidance and hands-on learning techniques that not only inspire, but also motivate this young generation of creative minds to follow their dreams and ideas.

Designers

In the eyes of designers, innovation is the lifeblood to which their creativity flows through. Innovation gives designers the motivation, ideas and ingenuity to take something that was once in their imagination and transform that thought into something tangible – into a piece of reality. Imagine how Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak must have felt after years and years of tinkering away in a garage to see the product that once lived in their minds right in front of them. These two innovators poured their own creativity and imagination into this product and designed the first ready-made home computer.  To that point, our designers at Inventionland work tirelessly to discover, sketch and transform invention ideas. This is an integral part of the overall invention process.

Builders and Makers

Let us paint a picture. You’ve just stumbled upon a problem that as of that moment doesn’t have a solution. Being that you’re an innovative thinker, you begin to brainstorm ideas as to how you can solve this problem. Old computer parts, empty soup cans, rope from an old tire swing – to some, this sounds like nothing more than a pile of junk. But, to builders and makers, this pile of material is nothing short of gold. It’s with these materials that you can begin to build something that’ll hopefully solve an existing problem.  For example, just take Prototype Builder Tommy “Bones” Werner, who uses Inventionland’s “Magic Bins” to fuel his innovative fire to turn nothing into something.  It’s this creative energy that’s recognized and celebrated on National Innovation Day.

So today, as we celebrate National Innovation Day, we challenge you to challenge yourself and take the necessary steps to make your invention dreams closer to being reality!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

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Idea (n): a thought, plan, or suggestion about what to do.

Every invention begins with an idea to create a product that solves a current problem. At Inventionland, we’ve helped inventors turn their invention ideas into reality. That’s why days like today – National Swap Ideas Day is so special to us!

This innovative day is annually celebrated on September 10 and encourages people to share creative or helpful ideas with someone in return for their ideas.

National Swap Ideas Day encourages people to get together and share their creativity with one another and to build on each other’s ideas.  People can share their concepts, ideas and thoughts with each other to swap and share innovation.

Your ideas can be off-the-wall or they can be practical and applied to everyday life. Whatever your idea may be, it’s worth brainstorming.

If you need a creative boost, in honor of National Swap Ideas Day, here are some tips straight from our designers for effective brainstorming!

Immerse yourself in a creative environment.

“Variety is the spice of life,” and this notion applies to your work environment, too! Did you know that switching up your work environment can actually affect the way your brain works? Neurobiologists believe that enriched environments could speed up the rate at which the human brain creates new neurons and neural connections. So where you have your brainstorming sessions likely can affect the ideas your team comes up with. That’s easy for us, because Inventionland was recently named one of Pittsburgh’s coolest offices by the Pittsburgh Business Times for its creative spaces!

Bounce ideas off of each other.

“Team work makes a dream work,” and in this case, it’s an invention dream! Sometimes, the right idea doesn’t always come easy so that’s why it’s important to look to others for some valuable input. Starting a conversation can get the creative-ball rolling towards innovative ideas.

Doodle!

For all those times that you were doodling while you should have been paying attention at school or meetings, you were actually doing yourself a service! Why? Because doodling can help spur creative insight, increase attention span, and free up short and long term memory. In fact, doodling can actually help us think about ideas in a different way and make connection that we never thought existed.

Take it from one of Inventionland’s best sketch artists, Dan:

“Its weird trying to explain how it works. It’s just natural.  I draw what I see in my head and it just starts to flow out.  Start with a thought and end up with an actual ‘thing’.”

Step away from the idea!

If you’ve seemed to have hit the proverbial “wall” when it comes to brainstorming, take a break.  Sometimes the best way to get over the “wall” is to step away and come back later with a fresh mind. Brain breaks are beneficial because they can help focus your mind and continue developing your idea.

Creative Director of Design, Curtis, agrees.

“This is a regular occurrence in Inventionland.  Each week, we brainstorm with our designers and sometimes the brain just gets stuck or doesn’t seem to work properly anymore.  You have to put things on hold and come back to them with fresh thoughts.  Most of the time when you look at something, the second time around it is easier to figure out.”

These were just a few of our tips for National Swap Ideas Day!

Need our help brainstorming your own invention ideas?  We want to hear yours, too!

Copyright Inventionland, 2015

Sources:

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/brainstorm-productive?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=21842208

https://www.psmag.com/books-and-culture/corridors-of-the-mind-49051

Image:

https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=102392811

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Thanks to an idea that the technology giant, Samsung, is currently testing, we all soon may be a little safer on the roads, whether we’re riding a school bus or driving another vehicle.

Using a wireless camera that is mounted to the front of a truck and four screens that are mounted to the back of a truck, Samsung is testing a way that drivers who are following their fleets may be able to see what traffic lies ahead… even when they’re unable to see around the vehicles. Samsung’s new product idea is called the Safety Truck and it even allows drivers to see night-time traffic.

Though the Safety Truck idea is still in the early phases of testing, Samsung recently piloted the technology in Argentina, a country that has some of the most dangerous roads in the world.

According to Samsung, immediate “pros” to the Safety Truck are that drivers could ensure no traffic lies ahead when they are trying to get around one of their trucks. They also noted that the technology may be able to alert drivers of sudden stops or animals that are trying to cross the road.

In the below video, the company asserts the Safety Truck is “An idea that instead of changing people’s lives… saves them!”

However, prototype testing continues while the company determines whether the camera display may be a distraction for drivers. Samsung is also testing the camera and screens against various weather conditions.

Watch the video below to learn more about Samsung’s Safety Truck:

Whether Samsung’s Safety Truck becomes a reality or not, it certainly makes us take a second look at how safe we are on the roads!

Copyright Inventionland, 2015

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/federicoguerrini/2015/06/22/samsung-safety-truck-makes-it-easier-for-drivers-to-see-the-road-ahead-before-trying-to-pass/

Media:

https://blogs-images.forbes.com/federicoguerrini/files/2015/06/Safety_Truck.jpg

https://youtu.be/ZetSRWchM4w

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