Examples of Swedish Innovations

Transcription

1 Examples of Swedish Innovations A few examples of Swedish innovations Please note that there are many more! Any Swedish innovation can be interpreted in this competition, this list is merely meant for inspiration. Absorption refrigerator: invented by Baltzar von Platen and Carl Munters in 1922, while they were still students at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. It became a worldwide success and was commercialized by Electrolux. Adjustable spanner: invented by Johan Petter Johansson ( ) in Air conditioner: a development of the original air conditioner invention was developed and patented by Carl Munters ( ), who at the time of his death had over a thousand patents. Air preheater: invented by the brothers Birger and Fredrik Ljungström ( resp ). Automatic Identification System (AIS): this development of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has become world standard for shipping and civil aviation. Developed and patented by the Swedish inventor Håkan Lans (b. 1947). Ball bearing: the multi-row, self-aligning radial ball bearing was invented by the Swedish engineer, inventor and industrialist, Sven Gustaf Wingqvist ( ), who also founded SKF, which is still one of the world s leading ball- and roller bearing makers. Bicycle with a free wheel and a rear-wheel brake: invented by Birger Ljungström ( ). This is still the most common bike-type in Sweden. Blowtorch: invented by Carl Rickard Nyberg ( ), most famous as an aviation pioneer. Cardan Joint: Invented by Christopher Polhem ( ), a Swedish scientist, inventor and industrialist. He reinvented the Cardan joint under the name of "Polhem knot" (Polhemknut) independently of Gerolamo Cardano, the original inventor. The coated electrode used in manual metal arc welding: invented by Oscar Kjellberg, a Swedish inventor and industrialist. His pioneering of covered electrode development paved the road during the next twenty years in the research of reliable flux coated electrodes.

2 Computer graphics: developed and patented by the Swedish inventor Håkan Lans (b. 1947). Continuous bleaching process for paper: invented by Johan Richter ( ) in the 1930s. Virtually all paper in the world is today produced with processes developed by Richter. At the time of death, Richter held more than 750 patents. Cream separator: early versions invented by Martin Wiberg ( ), who is primarily known as a computer pioneer. Defibrator pulping for pulping wooden chips: invented by Arne Asplund ( ). Dehumidification devices: developed by Carl Munters ( ), who at the time of his death had over a thousand patents. Dialysis machine: developed by Nils Alwall ( ), a Swedish professor and a pioneer in hemodialysis. Alwall pioneered the technique of ultrafiltration, introduced the principle of hemofiltration and is referred to as the father of extracorporeal blood treatment. Digitizer: This predecessor of the computer mouse was developed by the Swedish inventor Håkan Lans (b. 1947). Dynamite: invented by Alfred Nobel ( ), the chemist, engineer, innovator, and entrepreneur who instituted the Nobel Prizes. Echocardiography: a non-invasive method for examining the heart. Developed by Sweden s Inge Edler (b. 1911) and Austria's Carl Hellmuth Hertz ( ). The method revolutionized cardiovascular diagnostics. Hertz and Edler received the American equivalent of the Nobel Prize in medicine, the Lasker Prize. Encryption machine: invented by Boris Hagelin ( ), a Swedish businessman and inventor. Energy saving light bulb was invented by a consortium at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm in Foam plastic: invented by Carl Munters ( ). Gamma knife: invented for brain surgery in 1968 by Lars Leksell ( ). The knife uses concentrated gamma radiation on the tumour or malformation. The method is bloodless and patients can often leave hospital on the day of the operation. The gas absorption refrigerator: invented by Carl Munters ( ), who at the time of his death had over a thousand patents.

3 The high-pressure steam boiler: invented by the brothers Birger and Fredrik Ljungström ( resp ). Kerosene cooker: invented by Carl Rickard Nyberg ( ), most famous as an aviation pioneer. Losec, an ulcer medicine developed by the Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Malaise trap: invented by René Malaise ( ), a Swedish entomologist, explorer and art collector who is also known for his systematic collection of thousands of insects. Machine for print of logarithmic tables: this pioneering work towards the modern day computer was invented by Martin Wiberg ( ). Mecanum wheel: this wheel, which is capable of moving in any direction, was invented in 1973 by Bengt Ilon. Mechanical calculator: invented by Willgodt Theophil Odhner ( ) was a Swedish mechanic and inventor. Milk-cream separator: invented by Gustaf de Laval ( ), a Swedish engineer and inventor who also made important contributions to the design of steam turbines and other dairy machinery. Mobile calling system: the first mobile call was made in 1950 by engineer Sture Lauhrén and in 1956, the MTA (MobilTelefonisystem, version A) was introduced in Sweden. Only in the 1980s, however, was the technology and time mature for more extensive use of the mobile phone. Pacemaker: developed in 1958 by Rune Elmqvist. The same year, Åke Senning at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm carried out the world s first pacemaker operation. The peepoo: This sanitation solution is a single-use, self-sanitising, fully biodegradable toilet that prevents faeces from contaminating the immediate area as well as the surrounding ecosystem. After use, the bag turns into valuable fertiliser that can improve livelihoods and increase food security. Pulse jet engine: invented by Martin Wiberg ( ), who is primarily known as a computer pioneer. The pyranometer: the first device to accurately measure direct and indirect solar radiation was invented by Anders Knutsson Ångström, ( ), a Swedish physicist and meteorologist. Safety match: invented by Gustaf Erik Pasch ( ).

4 Scheutzian calculation engine: This pioneer in computer technology was invented already back in 1837 by Per Georg Scheutz ( ), a 19th-century Swedish lawyer, translator and inventor. Ship propeller: invented by John Ericsson ( ). Ericsson became widely famous when he built the Monitor, an armoured battleship that in 1862 triumphed over the Confederate States Merrimack in an American Civil War sea battle. Skype is an Internet-telephony service that allows low-cost phone calls over the Internet. The company was founded by the Swedish entrepreneur Niklas Zennström. Solar safe water system: a household water-treatment unit that cleans organically contaminated water with the help of the sun. Sootless kerosene stove: this stove, operated by compressed air, was invented by Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist ( ). Spherical bearing: invented by Sven Wingquist ( ), founder of the global company, SKF (AB Svenska Kullagerfabriken), which is still the world s leading producer of industrial bearings. Spotify is a streaming music service that provides users with subscription-based music for a fee. This innovation was developed by the entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, as a method to combat Internet piracy. Steam engine: invented by Carl Rickard Nyberg ( ), most famous as an aviation pioneer. Steel alloy: The patented steel alloy Kanthal was invented by Hans von Kantzow (born 1887). Sun valve: a type of flow control valve, notable because it earned its inventor Gustaf Dalén the Nobel prize in physics. The valve formed part of the Dalén light which was used in lighthouses from the 1900s through to the 1960s by which time electric lighting came to dominate. Tetra Pak: this invention for storing, packaging and distributing liquid foodstuffs, for example, milk and juice, was invented by Erik Wallenberg ( ), while businessman Ruben Rausing ( ) developed and produced it. Thermometer: The 100-point thermometer, widely used across the world, was invented by Anders Celsius ( ), an astronomer and mathematician. Three-phase electrical system: co-invented by Jonas Wenström, an early pioneer in alternating current, along with Tesla. Three-point safety belt: This seatbelt was developed by Nils Bohlin ( ), while he was working at Volvo. It is estimated to have saved one human life every six minutes since it was introduced in 1959.

5 Transmission of high voltage direct current, HVDC: a method developed at ASEA (now ABB) under Uno Lamm ( ). ABB remains one of the leading makers of HVDC technology, now also used for terrain cable. Turbine-powered locomotive: invented by the brothers Birger and Fredrik Ljungström ( resp ). Ultracentrifugation method for determination of molecular weights: invented in 1924 by Theodor Svedberg ( ). Wired rotor principle for machine encipherment: one of the inventors was Arvid Gerhard Damm (d. 1927), a Swedish engineer and inventor. He designed a number of cipher machines and his company, AB Cryptograph, was a predecessor of Crypto AG. Zipper: The design was improved and patented by two Swedish-Americans, Peter Aronsson and Gideon Sundbäck.