Latinos are an innovative bunch and many important things and technologies used by the world were invented by them. Some of these inventions are so legendary that they completely changed our lives. These inventions have helped in advancing the fields of technology, healthcare, entertainment, etc.
Latino innovators have innovative and brilliant minds, which allowed them to do the unthinkable. I mean who would’ve thought we would be able to tell if a human is using the internet or a robot? Or humans surviving on an artificial hearts until a donor is available? These concepts were only fantasy just half a century . However, our Latino fellows, with their amazing minds, made it a reality.
To celebrate the amazing innovations of people from our community, let us revisit some of these.
Stent by Julio Palmaz
Julio Palmaz, from Argentina, is a big name in the field of medicine. He is an interventional vascular radiologist, who currently has around 60 patents. He invented the balloon-expandable intravascular stent, with his colleague Richard Schatz.
What is so special about his invention is that this is the first stent to be approved by the Food and Drug Authority (FDA). Also called the Palmaz-Schatz stent, it has saved lives of nearly 100 million patients from all around the world. The stent made it to the “Ten Patents that Changed the World”. All of Palmaz’s early stent research and the stent itself are displayed in the medical collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.
The stunt was such a big deal that it was involved several legal battles against companies that made stents. After 12 years of constant legal battles against infringement, Palmaz’s stent won. What’s cool is that the damages awarded to it were the highest amount ever in patent litigation scenario.
CAPTCHA by Luis von Ahn
A Math genius, Luis von Ahn, he grew up in Guatamela. He famously invented the CAPTCHA code for Yahoo in his PHD program, at Carnegie Melon University. This happened after he attended a lecture by Yahoo’s top executive in the days Yahoo was a big deal. The top executive discussed a problem Yahoo was facing with bots creating millions of email accounts, which were when used to send spam.
He was a tinkerer at heart, who grew up learning how to solve problems. He did the same for Yahoo, where he figured out a way to distinguish between bots and humans. He figured only humans could read distorted letters, which is how CAPTCHA knows a human is using the program. He also created the ReCAPTCHA for Google.
Time for a quick pro-tip. We all know how annoying CAPTCHA is, and how much of our time it wastes in processing the results. But if you get a loads of CAPTCHA requests, then one probable cause might be a slow internet connection. A high-speed internet like Spectrum makes CAPTCHA processing quicker, which can help you save time. If it doesn’t, you can always contact the Spectrum servicio al cliente for more guidance.
Wireless Phone technology by Roberto Landell de Moura
Phones are an important part of our lives today and we have a Latino inventor to thank for it.
If you search ‘who invented wireless telephone?’ on Google, you might not get Roberto Landell de Moura’s name. But he was the first person who successfully transmitted audio wirelessly. This technology is the key technology behind our mobile phones.
On July 16th, 1899, Roberto Landell was successfully able to transmit audio wirelessly, in an unprecedented public demonstration. He transmitted the audio four kilometers away, between Santana College and Bandeiras Bridge in São Paulo. Landell patented his wireless audio transmission system in Brazil and in US, which compelled American inventors to recognize his efforts.
What’s sad, however, is that he never got to make much money due to the lack of resources and help. Due to this, Landell had to leave the US in while in debt. A local bishop saw the first wireless transmission and labelled it as devil’s work. It was seen as witchcraft which is why the locals destroyed Landell’s lab.
Earthquake Sensing Technology by Arturo Arias Suárez
Earthquakes are known for the devastation they cause but the earthquake-resistant architecture has saved millions from dying. The ability to accurately measure risks of damage caused by earthquakes is credited to the Chilean professor, Arturo Arias Suárez.
In 1970, Suárez developed a formula known as Arias Intensity or Instrumental Seismic Intensity. This mathematical formula analyzes the seismic waves of an earthquake to assess the risk of damage. Suárez is credited for coming up with the ‘most reliable instrumental measure used to date’ to measure seismic intensity.
The formula is used by scientists to assess how much the ground will shake and predict landslides. It is also extensively used by building engineers to construct earthquake-resistant structures, which can withstand seismic activity.
Conclusion
The list does not end here. Latinos also invented more important things like contraceptive pills, color TV, and neonatal artificial bubble. These inventions have solved major problems faces by us and also paved the way for more innovations.