History Seminar on Contemporary Science and Technology, Is a Fourth Industrial Revolution Underway? Invention Styles and Innovation Systems since 1820

Arthur Daemmrich, Director, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum (Washington, D.C.)

Thursday, January 26, 2017 4:00 pm EST

This talk reviews the interplay of invention styles and innovation systems during three historical "industrial revolutions" as the basis for analyzing whether a fourth is emerging at present. The periods analyzed include the early 19th century importation of industrial methods from England to the United States and the spread of manufacturing using interchangeable parts from the 1850s onward, widespread electrification and mass production starting in 1900, a digital electronic era starting in the 1960s, and a potential fourth revolution just underway. Changes to the status of independent inventors, innovation systems, types of work, organization of labor, and approaches to consumption are considered for each of the discrete eras. The talk considers definitions for invention and innovation in each era, the significance of spillovers from innovation in the four revolutionary moments, and the rate of technology change. It also suggests that organizational and institutional structures that support inventors and ensure returns to corporate innovation in the United States will need to adjust if a fourth industrial revolution has begun.

 

For further information, please contact: Tom Lassman at 202-633-2419; lassmant@si.edu. NON-SMITHSONIAN VISITORS MUST RSVP NO LATER THAN 48 HOURS BEFORE THE SEMINAR. On the day of the seminar, please report to the South Security Desk at the Museum's Independence Avenue entrance. Those holding SI ID badges may proceed directly to the Director's Conference Room on the 3rd floor.