Nikola Tesla was a man of true talent and genius. He worked with a number of great scientists and companies and upon his death, had 300 patents to his name. Some of his ideas were quite revolutionary and are being implemented nowadays. We have compiled a list of top 10 of his inventions. Check out the list below and let us know what you think of it.
10. The Tesla Coil
Most of us have already seen this amazing invention; a tower of varying height that makes use of coils for shooting lightning out into the air. Capacitors are used in this invention that store and build up energy for creation of a spark gap followed by shooting this energy into the air like lightning bolts. Tesla Coils were used for scientific testing.
9. The Magnifying Transmitter
You can safely assume that Tesla was obsessed with providing the world with wireless power and the intended use of Tesla Coil was to be part of his wireless power system. He built two huge Tesla Coil towers that could fire lightning bolts about 130 feet long.
8. The Tesla Turbine
The piston engine in automobile industry made Tesla realize that there was room for change in the world and he developed his own engine in turbine style that made use of combustion for rotating discs. The fuel efficiency of his engine was 60% (the current fuel efficiency level we are at is 42%).
7. The Shadowgraph
Rontgen is known for creating the first x-ray films known as shadowgraphs, however, there is evidence that Tesla was working on this beforehand. Why was he not able to develop it? He lost quite a lot of his work thanks to a fire in his lab. He took Rontgen’s shadowgraph method and improved it thus transforming it into one of the clearest x-rays ever.
6. The Radio
He was also working on radio before his lab went up in flames. He was going to send signal 50 miles but before he was able to rebuild the lab and equipment, an Italian man in England was able to secure a patent for the device. Had he been able to use it, Tesla’s radio would have been stronger.
5. The Neon Lamp
Tesla didn’t invent the neon light or fluorescent lights but he did improve them. He created the first neon sign and at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair he gave a demonstration of neon light signs!
4. The Niagara Falls Transformer House
The decision of building a power generator at Niagara Falls would have been in favor of Thomas Edison, however, once Tesla’s work was reviewed by Westinghouse Electric, the project as awarded to Tesla by Niagara Falls commission and Tesla’s alternating current power was implemented subsequently becoming the convention for hydroelectric power.
3. The Induction Motor
Ferrari presented the induction engine first, but Tesla beat them to for the filing of patents that he had submitted before. The motor made use of electromagnets for spinning and is now commonly used in vacuums, blow dryers and power tools.
2. The Radio Controlled Boat
The teleautomaton was the first RC boat that was designed by Tesla. He was denied the patent since the patent office didn’t believe such an invention would work, however, Tesla proved them wrong when he gave a successful demonstration at the Electrical Exhibition in 1898. The drones have stemmed from this invention by Tesla.
1. The Alternating Current
The work that Tesla has done in field of Alternating Current is his greatest success and achievement. He was not the inventor of AC power but he made it very easy for it to be used. Westinghouse bought Tesla’s AC patents for providing lighting to the Chicago World’s Fair.
As Edward Teller once said, “The science of today is the technology of tomorrow”. Here are, we believe, the top 10 inventions that actually changed the world. The world, as we know it today, is the result of a series of inventions that made living more convenient and the world a safer and healthy place to live. Among all the scientific inventions, some carry more significance than others because of their impact on the world.