Lifestyle
Last updated: 10.12.2024
From the minute you wake up, you interact with countless inventions: your coffee machine, phone, electric toothbrush, eyeglasses, soaps and shampoo. And if you wear a smartwatch to bed, there are patented inventions at work while you sleep.
Here's a look at European Inventor Award winners and finalists whose work we may encounter daily, even if we don't always realise it.
Lithium-ion battery
Akira Yoshino developed the lithium-ion battery, an invention used every day by billions of people around the world.
Vision for vehicles to improve road safety
Millions of cars are safer to drive thanks to Mobileye’s advanced driver assistance system that uses AI and a single-lens camera to spot and avoid traffic hazards in real time.
Video compression to enable streaming
If you enjoy streaming video, read all about Marta Karczewicz, the Polish inventor who spent years working on how to compress video files more effectively.
Inflatable bike helmet
Form, function and safety: Terese Alstin and Anna Haupt developed an "invisible" bicycle helmet that offers protection, shock absorption and everyday convenience.
QR code
A Japanese team invented the QR code, a 2D bar code that allows scanners to find and interpret information 20 times faster than matrix codes.
Liquid lenses for phones and other devices
The brilliantly simple principle that oil and water don't mix is behind the "liquid lenses" invented by French scientist Bruno Berge.
Sustainable corks for wine and other industries
A Portuguese team’s incredibly simple invention to increase the volume of cork is helping producers to meet global demand.
Self-adjustable eyeglasses
Simply brilliant: Joshua Silver’s liquid-filled lenses can be adjusted by individual wearers without the need for an optician.
Jet regulator for water taps
A small jet regulator for bathroom and kitchen taps invented by Hermann Greter and Christoph Weisunlocks enormous water savings of up to 50%.
Oktoberfest: No beer without patents
On the busiest days, bartenders at the Munich Oktoberfest serve up to 70 000 litres of beer – all in record time. Thanks to modern technology, the beer keeps flowing and never peters out during the festival's 16-day run.