ABSTRACT
Thomas Edison is perhaps the best-known inventor of all time. Edison also embodies many of the popular myths and misconceptions of invention and the invention process. If you ask the average person, “Did Edison change the world by creating the rst light bulb?” he or she would probably say “yes,” even though this statement is not correct. Examining this statement provides a convenient framework for discussing some of the misconceptions and challenges in understanding innovation, and how it relates to developing clinically useful medical device technology.
