Awesome Aussie inventions

Below are some life-changing (for the good or bad) Aussie inventions! You may think Australia an unimportant country (considering there are more sheeps than people), but actually we help make a lot of the things nowadays you may take for granted!

1. Black box flight recorder

The black box flight recorder was invented by an Aussie by the name Dave Warren. He invented the black box flight recorder in 1961, and has been immensely helpful to track and figure out what went wrong when a plane crashes. The black box records conversation in the cockpit and flight data. These extremely  durable boxes were designed to replay the final hours before a plane crash, helping figure out whether it was a faulty part on a plane, or just the pilots not paying attention.  Today, every single commercial flight is equipped with a Black box, placed in the back of a plane to protect it from being damaged.

2. Spray-on skin

Sounds a bit weird, doesn't it? Ask Professor Fiona Wood!

Professor Fiona wood patented her spray-on skin technique in 1999 . The process involves taking a small patch of the victim's healthy skin and then using it to grow new skin cells in a laboratory. The new skin cells are then sprayed on the victim's damaged skin!

 This discovery assists with the  significant reduction of time spent recovering and scarring. 

Fiona and her spray-on skin technique played a key role in treating burns victims from the 2002 Bali bombings, saving the lives of 28 people, and many more to come.

3. Electronic pacemaker

In 1926 Dr Mark Lidwill, a medical pioneer, made an impromptu pacemaker when a newborn childwas suffering from heart problems. Dr Mark used his knowledge and connected the baby's heart to electrodes, which stimulated the heartbeat with electric pulses, saving the child!

Now you can get an implant with batteries that last 7 years!

4. Google Maps

Want to see your old house in Australia? Or check out the views from the top if Mount Vesuvius? The Rasmussen brothers did that all! From 2003 to 2004 brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen developed the platform for Google Maps.

5. Medical application of penicillin

Though Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, Howard Florey, with a team of scientists, invented purified penicillin from a special strain of mold. In 1939 the team demonstrated penicillin's ability to fight bacterial infection in mice. The antibiotic was mass produced and used to aid the victims of World War I!

Penicillin has been used around the world, saving many lives through the combating of infection by common bacteria.

Next time you have penecillin, thank Howard Florey!

6. Polymer bank notes

Plastic bank notes were developed in a combined effort by the Reserve Bank of Australia and CSIRO (commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research organisation). The polymer material of the bank notes makes them very durable and counterfeit resistant. The bank notes first circulated in Australia in 1988.

Last but not least...

                     VEGEMITE!!!

Cyril P. Callister invented the first Vegemite spread. He used brewer's yeast and blended the yeast extract with ingredients like celery, onion, salt, and a few secret ingredients to make this paste.

Basically he used extracts from things that would usually be thrown in the bin and turned it into an edible paste, enjoyed by almost all Aussies. You may think it is horrible, but in small amounts i think it is quite enjoyable!

See, us Aussies can be quite the resourceful kind, can't they?