An invention is an object, process, or technique which displays an element of
novelty. An invention may sometimes be based on earlier developments, collaborations or ideas, and the process of invention requires at least the
awareness that an existing concept or method can be modified or transformed into an invention. However, some inventions also
represent a radical breakthrough in science or technology which extends the boundaries of human knowledge. Legal protection can
sometimes be granted to an invention by way of a patent.
The process of invention
Over time, humanity has invented objects and methods for accomplishing tasks which fulfill some
purpose in a new or different manner, usually with the objective of realizing that purpose in a faster, more efficient, easier or
cheaper way.
Ideas as a starting point
Although a new or useful object or method may be developed to fulfill a specific purpose, the original idea may never be fully realised as a working invention, perhaps because the concept is in some way unrealistic or
impractical.
A "castle in the air" or a "pie in the sky" (or "castles in Spain") may refer to a creative idea which does not reach fruition due to practical considerations. The history of invention is full
of such castles, because inventions are not necessarily invented in the order that is most useful; for example, the design of the
parachute was worked out before the invention of powered flight. Other inventions simply solve problems for which there is no economic incentive to provide a
solution.
On the other hand, any barriers to implementation may simply be an issue of engineering
or technology which can be overcome in time with scientific advances. History is also replete
with examples of ideas which have taken some time to reach physical reality, as demonstrated by various ideas originally
attributed to Leonardo da Vinci which are now expressed in everyday physical form.
Commercialization
Inventors may be inspired to invent through a desire to create something new or better,
simple altruism, or for competitive or commercial reasons. An invention may also result from a
combination of these motivating factors. Although many inventors may have in mind the commercialization of their product, very few will secure the funding and support often needed to develop and
launch a product in the marketplace, and fewer still will experience lasting commercial success or the economic reward they may
have expected. However, inventor associations and clubs and business incubators can
be used to provide the mentoring, commercial skills and economic resources which private inventors may often lack.
Entrepreneurship and an awareness of the demands of a changing marketplace are typical
characteristics of successful inventors.
Most great inventors developed countless prototypes, changing their designs
innumerable times. Today much emphasis is placed on research and development,
prototyping and finding solutions.
Inventions are one of the chief examples of "positive externalities" (an economist's name
for a beneficial side-effect that falls on those outside a transaction or activity). One of the central concepts of economics is
that externalities should be internalized: unless some of the benefits of this positive externality can be captured by the
parties, the parties will be under-rewarded for their inventions, and systematic under-rewarding will lead to under investment in
activities that lead to inventions. One important economic effect of the patent system is to
capture those positive externalities for the inventor (or the party that hired the
inventor), so that the economy as a whole will invest a more-closely-optimum amount of resources in the process of invention.
Innovation
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Following the terminology of political economist Joseph Schumpeter, an invention differs from an innovation. While
an invention is merely theoretical (even though the legal protection of a patent may have been sought), an innovation is an
invention that has been put into practice. However, these conflicts with the theory of social anthropologists and other social
sciences researchers. In social sciences, an innovation is anything new to a culture. The innovation does not need to have been
adopted. The theory for adoption (or non-adoption) of an innovation is called diffusion of innovations. This theory, first put forth by Everett Rogers, considers the likelihood that an innovation will ever be adopted and the taxonomy of
persons likely to adopt it or spur its adoption. Gabriel Tarde also dealt with the
adoption of innovations in his Laws of Imitation.[citation needed]
See also
Bibliography
- Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery, Harper & Row, 1989.
ISBN 0-06-015612-0
- De Bono, Edward, "Eureka! An Illustrated History of Inventions from the Wheel to the
Computer", Thames & Hudson, 1974.
- Gowlett, John. Ascent to Civilization, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-07-544312-0
- Platt, Richard, "Eureka!: Great Inventions and How They Happened", 2003.
External links
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