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Anyone Can Innovate

I’ve been thinking about the list of greatest Canadian inventions that I discussed in a previous post. I said that CBC voters got it right when they granted top honours to insulin, the treatment for diabetes. I still believe insulin is the greatest invention overall, but another item on the list is my choice for most inspiring. I’m talking about the Robertson screw, invented in 1908 by Peter Robertson of Milton, Ontario. Why do I say that? Allow me to explain.

In order to be inspiring, an invention must influence, impel, or motivate. This is the yardstick by which I measure an invention’s inspirational quality. Inventions can be great for a whole host of other reasons: they might solve a persistent or particularly troublesome problem; they might be technically sophisticated; or they might improve the quality of life for a large number of people. However, if they don’t influence, impel, or motivate, they cannot be described as inspiring.

The Robertson screw motivates and inspires because it could have been invented by almost anyone. Coming up with the idea required no special training or education. It didn’t require the insight of a doctor, scientist, engineer, or other specialist. When they hear the story of the screw’s invention, ordinary people can easily visualize themselves as Peter Robertson. It’s precisely the type of invention that makes you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

The same cannot be said for inventions such as insulin, the telephone, light bulb and pacemaker. They had tremendous impact across the globe, but they all required specialized knowledge to conceive – the type of knowledge obtained after years of study, training and practice. It would be a stretch for the average person to visualize themselves as Frederick Banting or Alexander Graham Bell. Can you imagine someone saying, “Why didn’t I think of the pacemaker?” I can almost hear the response: “Perhaps because you’re neither a doctor nor an engineer and you don’t know the first thing about heart rhythms or electrical signals.”

For showing that anyone can innovate and that all it takes is a little ingenuity, the Robertson screw has got to be the most inspiring Canadian invention.

Posted by Nelson T. on January 14, 2007 10:55 PM

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