Kia Silverbrook facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kia Silverbrook
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| Born | 1958 (age 66–67) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Inventor, scientist, businessman |
Kia Silverbrook (born 1958) is an amazing Australian inventor and scientist. He is known for creating many new things. In fact, he is one of the most prolific inventors in the world! This means he has been granted thousands of utility patents for his inventions. As of February 2022, he had 4,747 US patents. Around the world, he has nearly 10,000 patents or patent applications.
Kia Silverbrook has started companies and developed products in many different areas. These include computer graphics, making videos and audio, digital printing, and even solar photovoltaics. He has also worked on LCDs, internet software, and MEMS devices.
Contents
Early life and first inventions
Kia Silverbrook was born in Australia in 1958. In 1977, he began working at Fairlight Instruments. This company made the first digital music synthesizer, called the Fairlight CMI. While there, Kia invented the Fairlight CVI. This was a special computer that could create real-time video effects. It was released in 1984. He worked at Fairlight Instruments until 1985.
In 1985, Silverbrook started his own company called Integrated Arts. This company focused on parallel processing and computer graphics. He was the managing director, similar to a CEO, until 1990.
Later, in 1990, a research company was formed in Australia by the Japanese electronics company Canon. It was called Canon Information Systems Research Australia (CiSRA). Kia Silverbrook was an executive director at CiSRA from the very beginning until 1994.
A super inventor
For many years, between 2008 and 2017, Kia Silverbrook was considered the world's top inventor. This was based on the number of US patents he had received. In 2008, he even passed another famous inventor, Shunpei Yamazaki, in US utility patents. Later, in 2017, Yamazaki took the lead again.
To help him register so many of his ideas, Silverbrook started a company called Priority Matters. Its main job was to help him file all his patents.
Netpage technology
Kia Silverbrook is the founder and CEO of Netpage. This company uses technology that Silverbrook Research first patented in 1999. This special technology was even launched in Esquire magazine.
Geneasys and medical devices
Silverbrook is also the founder and chairman of an Australian company called Geneasys (Genetic Analysis Systems). This company is developing a new medical device called "KeyLab." This device can analyze many diseases from DNA using a regular smartphone.
The goal of Geneasys is to give medical workers, aid workers, and even regular people a simple, low-cost, and very accurate way to diagnose illnesses.
Silverbrook Research
In 1994, Kia Silverbrook helped start Silverbrook Research. This Australian company focuses on research and development and licensing inventions. He is the chairman and CEO of this company.
Silverbrook Research developed several important technologies. These include the Memjet printer technology, Hyperlabel (an alternative to RFID), and the Netpage viewer and digital pen technologies. Since 2001, Silverbrook Research has often been listed among the top 200 global companies for US patents. In 2008, it reached as high as the 28th rank.
Superlattice Solar
In 2011, Silverbrook founded Superlattice Solar. This company works on thin-film solar photovoltaics. Their goal is to make solar power so affordable that it costs less than keeping old power plants running.
Memjet printers
In 2002, Silverbrook also helped create Memjet, a company focused on printer technology. Prototype printers were shown at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2011). Big companies like LG, Fuji Xerox, Canon, and Toshiba announced they would use Memjet technology.
Memjet technology has won several awards. These include Popular Science's "Best of what's new - 2011" and the Edison Awards 2012 Gold Medal.
In 2012, there was a business disagreement involving Memjet. However, a settlement was reached, and Memjet gained control of the technology. All legal claims were then dropped.
Scientific studies
Kia Silverbrook has also co-authored several scientific papers. These papers were published in important journals like the Journal of Chemical Physics. His research focused on topics like carbon nanotubes and the electronic properties of molecular systems.
See also
In Spanish: Kia Silverbrook para niños
- List of prolific inventors
