The Nature of Invention (2019)

It may sound obvious, but every single thing we encounter in everyday life had to be invented - TV, phones, furniture, trains, planes and automobiles. And behind every invention is a fascinating story. Broadcaster and author Britt Wray wants to meet inventors to find out what inspires them and what makes them tick. For starters, there's Israeli doctor, Amit Goffer. He was left quadriplegic following an ATV accident. Frustrated with life in a wheelchair he invented ReWalk - a wearable robotic exoskeleton that enables individuals with spinal cord injury to stand upright, walk, turn, and climb and descend stairs. Ironically, Amit cannot benefit from ReWalk as it requires upper body strength to balance with crutches. So he invented a device that would help people like him. There's Dan Watson who wants to stop the practice of bycatch - that's when fishermen catch unwanted fish that end up dead and are dumped back in the sea. Ann Makosinski was inspired to solve her friend's problem. The young girl who lives in the Philippines could not study because she had no light in her home. So Ann invented a flashlight that doesn't require batteries. And then there's Garrett Brown, a cameraman who wanted to move his camera without creating shaky images. He invented Steadicam and followed that with the SkyCam, DiveCam and MobyCam. Britt Wray meets these inventors in their labs and workshops and endeavours to discover are there common traits, is there a stereotypical inventor type? Spoiler alert: it turns out that while yes, many inventors share common traits - passion, tenacity, and a willingness to fail - inventors are as diverse as their creations.