8 inventions by famous authors

Oct 27, 2023

Aakanksha Sharma

Author inventions

Did you know that several authors have ventured beyond basic writing and invented things that have made people’s lives easy?Here we list eight such inventions made by famous authors.

Cerebral shunt by Roald Dahl

Dahl's work on the Wade-Dahl-Till valve, designed to alleviate brain fluid build-up, greatly benefited his son, Theo, and numerous other patients who suffered from

Self-pasting scrapbook by Mark Twain

Mark Twain’s aversion towards the sticky and gummy scrapbook shenanigans made him create a user-friendly scrapbook with pre-applied adhesive. The user just had to water the page a little to activate the adhesive.

The Pringles Chips Machine by Gene Wolfe

Before venturing into science fiction, Wolfe, a mechanical engineering graduate, worked at Procter & Gamble, developing the process for the making and packaging of Pringles chips.

​Postage case by Lewis Carroll

In the late 1800s, Lewis Carroll designed a postage case with labeled pockets for British stamps, adorned with Alice-themed illustrations. The case had separate pockets for quick access to the right denominations of stamps.

​Virtual autograph pen by Margaret Atwood

Canadian author Margaret Atwood devised the ‘LongPen’ which enabled her to interact with readers through video-conferencing, personalizing inscriptions on an LCD screen. A robotic arm in the bookstore executed her signature with a pen.

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​The backless brassiere by Caresse Crosby

Mary Phelps Jacob, later known as Caresse Crosby, in 1914 patented a novel design of a brassiere as an alternative to a corset, using handkerchiefs for anatomical support.

​Granthika by Vikram Chandra

The genesis of Granthika can be traced back to the author Vikram Chandra's writing journey while working on his third novel, 'Sacred Games'. Granthika seamlessly integrates various writing tools, from word processing and editing to timeline management and database organization.

Waterbed by Robert Heinlein

Heinlein's sci-fi career inspired various inventions, and his tuberculosis convalescence sparked the idea for a water-based bed, more comfortable than traditional spring beds. He introduced this concept in 1942 and incorporated it into his novels.

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