Heartbeat of Innovation

The Pacemaker's Story of Overcoming Design Failure

Design fails led to Innovation | 01

Design fails led to Innovation | 01

Pacemakers used to be huge – almost the size of televisions.

Design fails led to Innovation | 01

Then Wilson Greatbach, an American inventor made a mistake that revolutionized the medical industry.

When building a heart rhythm recording device, he pulled out the wrong-sized resistor and plugged it into the circuit.

Design fails led to Innovation | 01

Once installed he realized it sounded exactly like a human heartbeat.

Design fails led to Innovation | 01

He then miniaturized the device to two cubic inches. The result was an implantable pacemaker, which has since saved thousands of lives.

As technology improved, pacemakers became much smaller and more portable.

Design fails led to Innovation | 01

Modern pacemakers are about the size of a silver dollar and can be easily implanted through a small incision in the chest.

Design fails led to Innovation | 01

So the next time your designs fail to meet their intended goal, don’t get upset. That could be a turning point for you toward some revolutionary innovation.

Design fails led to Innovation | 01

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