• Question: What do you invent

    Asked by anon-73804 to Reshma on 23 Apr 2020.
    • Photo: Reshma Vora

      Reshma Vora answered on 23 Apr 2020: last edited 23 Apr 2020 6:25 pm

      I don’t really invent anything, but as an engineer we’re constantly looking for better ways of working, so this means improving our processes and changing the way we work. So a good example of this is right now with the restrictions in place because of Corona Virus we’ve had to adapt to working from home but making sure we can still perform the same level as work as before. It can be difficult at the beginning as any kind of change is hard to get use to but eventually you may end up finding that a lot of changes are good and may even stay.

Comments

  • Photo: Leah

    Leah commented on :

    I work for a company that makes ‘encoders’, which are gadgets to measure distances that are a many times smaller than a human hair! They get used in robots that make things like TV screens and phone screens.

    We’re always coming up with new designs for encoders that are more accurate or smaller. In my job I also get to invent new ways of putting the encoders together.

  • Photo: Holt

    Holt commented on :

    As a researcher at University, I was involved in a few jet engine related inventions. Very specific, and very niche things that may or may not end up on an engine in the future.

    Now, in a tech start-up, we’re coming up with cooling and battery related inventions literally every day! But of course, most of them are nonsense, but we keep trying to find that gem that we can build upon and hopefully turn into a marketable product in a couple of years.

  • Photo: Steve

    Steve commented on :

    I have invented a number of types of prosthetic knees and ankles. I don’t get any of the royalties though, as the company I worked for at the time owns the patents. Because it is expensive to file a patent, most are owned by companies.
    Having said all that, it is very rewarding when a patent naming you is granted.

  • Photo: Peter

    Peter commented on :

    I invented a system to clamp on to the towball of a car to carry much bigger loads then other methods. 25 years ago when my kids were small we had too much kiddy kit (pushchairs and stuff) to fit in the car so I invented a carrier to go on the towbracket.
    I improved it then got a patent and for 20 years have been running my business – bak-rak.com selling carriers based on the idea.
    I still did other work for lots of different companies – because engineering is fun while I paid other people to do the bak-rak work that wasn’t fun – I just did the design and organisation.
    Engineering is GREAT – finding answers to problems – of all types is what engineering is about.
    Just look at all the huge companies with an engineer in charge.