From domestic products such as kitchen appliances to medical innovations, road traffic and security systems, these inventions are not only the brainchild of Black inventors, they also still impact each aspect of our modern life. Here are a few of some of the geniuses who have pioneered technological developments over the years.
Dough Kneader and Roller
Judy W. Reed (1826-1905) was one of the first recorded African American women to receive a U.S. patent. She is known for her invention titled “Dough Kneader and Roller”, a precursor to modern apparatuses found in many homes today. The invention, which was patented on September 23, 1884, improved upon existing dough kneaders and rollers, and included a box for receiving, whereby the dough is kneaded through two intermeshed rollers into a continuous sheet.
Judy W. Reed
The Ironing Board
Sarah Boone (1832-1904) was a pioneering dressmaker and inventor who developed new technology for domestic use. In 1892, she was awarded a patent for the ironing board, a then novel invention that was designed “to produce a cheap, simple, convenient and highly effective device, particularly adapted to be used in ironing the sleeves and bodies of ladies’ garments.” Today, her invention continues to be used by millions of people across the world.
Sarah Boone
The Traffic Light
Garrett Morgan (1877-1963) is credited as having invented the first three-point traffic signal in 1923. Morgan began working on the invention after witnessing a severe motorist accident at an intersection in his city of Cleveland, Ohio. His invention added a “yield” component, warning oncoming drivers of an impending stop, thereby controlling traffic flow. Morgan’s invention is a precursor to the traffic lights that accompany many intersections today. His other inventions include the smoke hood, a precursor to the gas mask.
Garrett Morgan
The Pacemaker
Otis Boykin (1920-1982) was a serial inventor who modified the pacemaker. After his mother succumbed to heart failure in his childhood, Boykin was determined to help improve the pacemaker, a device implanted in the body to regulate the heartbeat. Boykin then went on to successfully invent a control unit for the pacemaker and patented as many as 26 electronic devices, resistors, and pacemakers.
Otis Boykin
The CCTV System
Mary Van Brittan Brown (1922-1999) is renowned for inventing an early prototype of closed-circuit television security (CCTV) and home security systems back in 1966. Her invention used a camera that could slide into and look through four peepholes in her front door. The camera’s view would appear on a monitor that she would be able to see in her home, meaning she could see anyone who was there. The invention was originally intended to make her feel more at ease at her home in Queens, New York while her husband was away. Today, the invention has been reconfigured and installed in both public and private settings.
Mary Van Brittan Brown
The GPS System
Gladys West (1930-present) is a prominent mathematician known for her contributions to the mathematical modelling of the shape of the Earth. After collecting and analysing satellite data of the Earth’s surface, West successfully created a detailed model, which resulted in the Global Positioning System (GPS). Today, the global navigation satellite system can accurately determine our position anywhere in the world.
Gladys West
Advancing The Microphone
James Edward Maceo West (1930-present) holds over 250 foreign and U.S. patents for the production and design of microphones. He is also credited alongside his colleague Gerhard M. Sessler as having developed the electret transducer technology used in compact electroacoustic microphones while working at Bell Labs in 1957. Today, 90 percent of microphones use their technology, including those in mobile phones, laptops, baby monitors, and hearing aids.
James Edward Maceo West
Audio on the Internet
Marian R. Croak (1955-present) has retained an impressive career in the technology industry and has over 200 patents in her name. She is best known as the inventor of ‘Voice Over Internet Protocol’, which enables us to use our internet network for multimedia communications. Over the past two years, many of us have resorted to using this technology, particularly video conferencing software such as Zoom or Skype amid the coronavirus pandemic. We have Marian to thank for that.
Marian R. Croak
The Electric Windmill
William Kamkwamba (1987-present) is among some of the youngest inventors in the world. At just 14 years old, the Malawian innovator, built an electricity-producing windmill from spare and scrap parts to provide electricity to his home in rural Malawi. Since then, he has built a solar-powered water pump that supplies the first drinking water in his village. William’s invention attracted international attention and his personal story has been chronicled in the award-winning feature-length documentary, William and the Windmill. His autobiography titled, “The boy who harnessed the wind” also received critical acclaim.
William Kamkwamba
The Medical Tablet
Arthur Zang (1987-present) is a Cameroonian engineer best known as the man behind the Cardiopad, a touch screen medical tablet. The device enables heart examinations such as the electrocardiogram (ECG) to be performed at remote, rural locations while the results of the test are transferred wirelessly to heart specialists who can interpret them. Cardiopads are distributed to hospitals and clinics in Cameroon free of charge, and patients pay a yearly subscription.
Arthur Zang
