Innovation lessons: Implications of Nikola Tesla’s life for today’s engineers, scientists, and technology designers

Abstract

Nikola Tesla was one of the greatest inventors of all time. His life was full of interesting twists and turns. He is most famous for inventing the Alternating Current motor, Tesla Coil, and the Bladeless Turbine, to name a few. Other inventors inspired him, such as, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. His trust in the people that inspired him eventually impacted him negatively. Nikola Tesla made mind-blowing discoveries and inventions that are still used today. His first break-through was creating a rotating magnetic field to make an Alternating Current without having to use a commutator. He also invented the Tesla Coil, which was able to produce a high voltage of electricity for transporting the electricity farther distances. These coils can be seen at the tops of electrical poles that hold electrical wires and cables sometimes for miles. Tesla’s final invention was the bladeless turbine, able to produce energy using fluids, gases and centripetal force. His most popular invention was the Alternating Current motor, which did not use a dynamo or a commutator, but the rotating magnetic field. This would prove to be one of Tesla’s greatest contributions. This paper examines the life of Nikola Tesla and document the ups and downs he faced while becoming one of the greatest inventors of all times. Although there have been many attempts to extract ubiquitous lessons learned from his life, this paper is unique in it’s international focus (i.e., impact on North American innovation from European thought leadership) and serves as a mechanism for discussing the implications for HCI (i.e., process, design and social interactions). It also provides specific innovation lessons from his life and provides a summary of the implications of these lessons for 21st century engineers, scientists and technology designers.