National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum Unveils New Exhibits Including Disney HoloTile Floor Technology
Date May 3, 2024
Est. Reading Time 3 mins
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — May 3, 2024 — American innovation is always evolving, and so is the National Inventors Hall of Fame® Museum.
The museum, located at the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Madison Building in Alexandria, announces new and updated exhibits for 2024, including:
- The 2024 Class of Inductees exhibit celebrating each member of the latest class of Hall of Famers. Visitors are introduced to 15 groundbreaking, patented inventors including Andrea Goldsmith, inventor of adaptive beamforming for multi-antenna Wi-Fi; Asad Madni, inventor of the MEMS gyroscope for aerospace and automotive safety; and James Allison, inventor of immune checkpoint blockade therapy.
- HoloTile™ floor technology co-invented by 2024 Hall of Famer Lanny Smoot, The Walt Disney Company’s most prolific inventor. Smoot created the world’s first and only multi-person, omni-directional, modular, expandable treadmill experience. It allows users to share a virtual reality experience, letting them move in any direction without ever walking off its surface.
- The “Breaking Barriers: Honoring Extraordinary Black Inventors” exhibit developed to recognize both recent and historical Black innovators. Visitors can expect to find meaningful stories of honorees including Hall of Famer Thomas Jennings, the first Black inventor to be awarded a U.S. patent; Madam C.J. Walker, the groundbreaking inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist; and Heman Bekele, the inspiring 2023 3M Young Scientist Challenge winner who is developing a soap that could treat skin cancer.
- “The Power of Trademarks,” which helps visitors discover the value of intellectual property. Made possible by the USPTO and the International Trademark Association (INTA), artifacts show the evolution of brands such as Carhartt, Hershey’s and Major League Baseball, and an interactive magnetic “kitchen pantry” section displays well-known products from companies such as Procter & Gamble and The J.M. Smucker Company. Visitors also can try to tell the difference between genuine and counterfeit products.
- A flight suit made with Nomex® fiber, made possible by 2024 Hall of Famer Alice Stoll, who was a pioneer in aerospace medicine and a researcher at the Naval Air Development Center. Her work led to the use of fibers like Nomex to make fire-resistant clothing, keeping people safe from burns in the U.S. Armed Forces, fire departments and more.
Open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the first Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., admission to the museum is free and open to the public. For a complete list of new and current National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum exhibits, visit invent.org/museum.
About the National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is the premier nonprofit organization in America dedicated to recognizing inventors and invention, promoting creativity, and advancing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. Founded in 1973 in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Hall of Fame is committed to not only honoring the individuals whose inventions have made the world a better place, but to ensuring American ingenuity continues to thrive in the hands of coming generations through its national, hands-on educational programming and collegiate competitions focused on the exploration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. For more information, visit invent.org. To nominate an inventor for Induction, visit invent.org/nominate.