Jan 7, 2020   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

National Inventors Hall of Fame Announces 2020 Inductees at CES

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-two innovation pioneers were announced today as the National Inventors Hall of Fame(®) (NIHF) 2020 class of Inductees on stage at CES(®).

These innovators, whose landmark inventions range from the hard hat to the sports bra, will be celebrated as the newest class of Inductees during the NIHF Induction Ceremony. In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), NIHF will honor these Inductees in Washington, D.C. on May 6-7 at one of the innovation industry's most highly anticipated events -- "The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation(®)."

"My passion for science and creating led me to a career in engineering," said 2020 Inductee Raffaello D'Andrea, a pioneer of mobile robotic material handling for order fulfillment, professor at ETH Zurich and founder of Verity. "It's an honor to be recognized alongside Mick Mountz and Pete Wurman for our accomplishments at Kiva Systems."

THE CLASS OF 2020

    --  R. Rox Anderson: Laser Dermatology  Anderson has improved lives across
        the world with his invention of laser dermatology treatments and
        procedures that are now commonly used to remove birthmarks, scars and
        other skin lesions.

    --  Sylvia Blankenship and Edward Sisler (Posthumous): 1-MCP for Fruit,
        Vegetable and Flower Freshness Blankenship and Sisler invented 1-MCP, a
        compound that has become essential in preventing food waste, and
        increasing accessibility to fresh fruits, vegetables and cut flowers.

    --  Dana Bookbinder, Ming-Jun Li and Pushkar Tandon: Bend-Insensitive
        Optical FiberBookbinder, Li and Tandon invented the bend-insensitive
        ClearCurve(®) optical fiber. Because it can bend without significant
        signal loss, ClearCurve optical fiber has reached locations previously
        inaccessible to optical fiber and advanced data transmission across an
        array of industries.

    --  Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller and Polly Smith: Sports Bra  Lindahl, Miller
        and Smith invented the sports bra, a revolutionary garment that has
        enabled women's participation in athletic activities and advanced
        women's health and well-being.

    --  James McEwen: Automatic Surgical TourniquetMcEwen invented the first
        microprocessor-controlled automatic surgical tourniquet system, and his
        innovations ensure safer outcomes in nearly 20,000 surgeries across the
        world each day.

    --  Mick Mountz, Peter Wurman and Raffaello D'Andrea: Mobile Robotic
        Material Handling for Order FulfillmentMountz, Wurman and D'Andrea
        invented the Kiva system, a revolutionary warehouse order fulfillment
        system that uses mobile robots and control software to bring inventory
        shelves to workers, dramatically improving all aspects of fulfillment
        operations.

    --  Margaret Wu: Synthetic LubricantsWu advanced the field of synthetic
        lubricants, and she has revolutionized the way both automotive and
        industrial lubricants are designed and synthesized.

    --  James Abercrombie and Harry Cameron: Blowout Preventer (BOP);
        (Posthumous)Abercrombie and Cameron invented the world's first reliable
        blowout preventer (BOP) to successfully contain catastrophic blowouts
        from oil and natural gas wells. This mechanism allowed operators to
        close wells, control pressure during drilling operations, protect the
        environment and save lives.

    --  Stewart Adams and John Nicholson: Ibuprofen (Posthumous)Adams and
        Nicholson co-developed ibuprofen, which is used worldwide to safely and
        effectively treat pain, fever and inflammation related to conditions
        from headaches to arthritis.

    --  Evelyn Berezin: Computer Systems for Business Use (Posthumous)An expert
        in logic design and data transmission, Berezin invented a computer
        reservations system for airlines and founded a company that developed
        the first computerized standalone word processor for business use.

    --  Edward W. Bullard: Hard Hat (Posthumous)Bullard invented the hard hat,
        the first commercially available industrial head protection device.
        Originally designed for miners, hard hats are now used by millions of
        people in an array of industries.

    --  Floyd Smith: Modern Parachute (Posthumous)Smith invented the modern
        parachute. A trapeze artist turned aviator, Smith's invention led to the
        creation of the parachute industry and provided safe landings across the
        world, saving countless lives.

    --  Frank Zybach: Center-Pivot Irrigation (Posthumous)Zybach invented the
        center-pivot irrigation technology that has revolutionized agricultural
        production not only in America's heartland but throughout the world.

For full biographies of each Inductee, visit https://www.invent.org/inductees/new-inductees.

THE CELEBRATION
The class of 2020 will be honored at "The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation," a two-day event held in our nation's capital. Danica McKellar -- star of the TV show "The Wonder Years," Hallmark Channel regular, and author of New York Times bestselling McKellar Math books -- will serve as master of ceremonies.

    --  May 6 - Illumination Ceremony at the National Inventors Hall of Fame
        Museum at the USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, where new
        Inductees will place their names on illuminated hexagons in the museum's
        Gallery of Icons((TM)).
    --  May 7 - The 48(th) Annual National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction
        Ceremony will be held at the National Building Museum in Washington,
        D.C., where the new Inductee class will be honored for its contributions
        to society during an evening event including a black-tie dinner,
        ceremony and after party. To learn more about the event, visit
        https://www.invent.org/induction.

"Innovation is the foundation for everything we do at the National Inventors Hall of Fame," said NIHF CEO Michael Oister. "Our class of 2020 -- and their world-changing inventions as diverse as ibuprofen, optical fiber, the word processor and the parachute -- will be incorporated into our Innovation Ecosystem and our leading children's STEM programs such as Camp Invention."

The 2020 National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is sponsored by the USPTO, Qualcomm, AgroFresh, Corning, North Carolina State University and Red Point Digital.

About the National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is the premier nonprofit organization in America dedicated to recognizing inventors and invention, promoting creativity, and advancing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. Founded in 1973 in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, NIHF is committed to not only honoring the individuals whose inventions have made the world a better place, but to ensuring American ingenuity continues to thrive in the hands of coming generations through its national, hands-on educational programming and collegiate competitions focused on the exploration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Explore the NIHF Museum digitally in Google Arts & Culture's "Once Upon a Try" project. For more information, visit invent.org. To nominate an inventor for Induction, visit invent.org/nominate.

CONTACT:
Ken Torisky
National Inventors Hall of Fame
ktorisky@invent.org
234-901-6085

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-inventors-hall-of-fame-announces-2020-inductees-at-ces-300982810.html

SOURCE National Inventors Hall of Fame