Destination: Inventionland
When people think of an invention factory, they may think of a plain office with cubicles and meeting rooms, or a large room with machines. But that’s not always the case.
Inventionland, Pittsburgh, is a place for inventor’s minds to have freedom and not be enclosed in a cubicle. It took entrepreneur and inventor George Davison about a year and a half to create the world’s largest invention factory.
The space was featured on the History Channel and continues to gain attention, begging the question: Why are people drawn there?
Inventionland puts out eight to ten new inventions a day and has products sold in over 1,200 stores. Creators make everything from children’s toys to kitchen appliances. They offer tours of the building, where visitors see the process of how some products came to be. Visitors learn about three elements of the nine-part process of inventing – virtual rendering, concept model and rapid prototyping, which is done with 32 3-D printers.
Davison’s biggest inspirations are Thomas Eddison, Henry Ford and Walt Disney, because they came from nothing and created things that are still used today.
Davison’s idea for Inventionland came from his own failed invention.
It all started in his grandfather’s basement with an idea – the self-disinfecting toothbrush. It took two years for Davison to get a patent. Before he could even release the product, someone beat him to it.
He then decided he didn’t want that to happen to anyone else, so he created the space.
Inventionland has offices that match the inventor’s expertise. For example, children’s toy creators work on a pirate ship. Electronics creators work on a giant robot head. These are just two of the 16 places available to work. There’s also a filming area and recording studio.
The space allows free and creative thinking in an exciting work place.
“You’ll invent the jobs of the future,” said Davison, who believes it’s this generation’s job to invent new products and jobs for our future.
He also believes that all investors deserve the perfect environment in which to work.
If interested in learning more about inventing, a location for a fun school field trip, or looking for an expert to consider an invention, look no further.
And to think – it all started with an invention that failed.
By Amanda Reilly
Freshman, Washington