“What stops a man from flying isn’t the absence of the wings.. but it’s the lack of the desire” - Rohith Govindraj
The stories of great inventors have taught us valuable lessons to understand what inspired them to invent; whether they were solving a problem for themselves or others they all found a reason to invent. Here is a list of few triggers I have found with my own research. May be within this list or may be elsewhere, if you have a burning desire to bring a change in this world..I promise you have already found your trigger!
Problem
The most frequent trigger for invention is a problem. A problem that an individual faces and realises that it’s an experience of many others too and he decides to fix it. Problem: Difficulty in accessing money in bank accounts out of hours. Invention: Invented the access to bank accounts with a chip and pin ATM machine. Inventor: James Goodfellow, Scotland, UK
Fear
The fear of perishing has pushed the humans to fight back with all their might resulting inventions to tackle the problem. Problem: Smallpox virus was ravaging the human civilisation Invention: Vaccine against Smallpox virus has helped eradicate the virus completely. Inventor: Edward Jenner, England, UK
Passion
To leave a mark on this planet is the desire of a handful who have realised their bigger purpose of their existence. This group of individuals tend to be serial inventors and entrepreneurs who leave the biggest impact. Problem: Space travel Invention: Space X Inventor: Elon Musk, USA
Competition
Companies in any sector are in a race to be the best in the field triggering a series of patent wars. This is not just helping bring new technologies to the world but competition is pushing them deliver these in fastest times ever. Problem: Building the best mobile phones in the world. Invention: Multitude of features in mobile technology easing business, social and personal life. Inventor: Apple v Samsung v Google
Dissatisfaction
The unhappiness with a situation has led to the search for change and leading to inventions. Problem: limitations of the human performance Invention: Personal Computers greatly expanding human capabilities Inventor: Altair, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) followed by Microsoft, IBM, Apple
Greed
Money or Fame whatever floats your boat still is one of the most attractive of triggers to innovate. The current era of investors support only inventions that show a good return. Thus, making every inventor to assess the market before the very beginning of their journey. Problem: Loss of suction in vacuum cleaners and needing replacement bags Invention: Bagless suction, G-force, Cyclone technology took over the 100million industry Inventor: Sir James Dyson, England, UK
Need
Necessity is the mother of invention as we know. The need for the moment for a bigger system could act as a starting point for inventors and they work at the drawing board. Problem: Impossible to fly Invention: Three-axis control system for flying aeroplanes still is the basic principle of planes. Inventor: The Wright Brothers, USA