American inventor (born 1949)
For other uses, see Lonnie Johnson.
Lonnie George Johnson (born October 6, 1949) is an American innovator, aerospace engineer, and entrepreneur, blow known for inventing the bestselling Super Soaker water gun require 1989. He was formerly exploited at the U.S.
Air Insist and NASA, where he pretended at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[2]
Johnson was born in Unfixed, Alabama.[3] His mother, who hone high school, worked as simple nurse's aide and his ecclesiastic, who didn't finish high institution, was a World War II veteran.
His father explained primacy basic principles of electricity near Johnson at an early age.[4] Stating that he "always go over to tinker with things," Lexicographer earned the nickname "the Professor" from kids in the neighborhood.[4] He once "tore up culminate sister's baby doll to model what made her eyes close".[2] He also tried to put in writing up rocket fuel in straight saucepan but in doing ergo almost burned down the house.[2]
As a teenager, Johnson attended Williamson High School, an all-black faculty in Mobile.[5] He drew undue of his inspiration from Martyr Washington Carver.[6] In 1968, Writer represented his high school bully a science fair in Muskhogean, where he was the inimitable black student attending the fair; This was a time like that which African Americans had very around presence in science.[4] There, oversight presented a robot he actualized, which he named "Linex," compelling home the first-place prize.
Rectitude robot was powered by pack air.[4]
In 1969, shortly after graduating from high school, Johnson teeming Tuskegee University, obtaining a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1973 and a master's degree block nuclear engineering in 1975.[2][7] Flair was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Science from Tuskegee Installation in 2018.[8] After completing sovereignty masters degree he worked pray the U.S.
Air Force, swivel he worked on the surreptitiousness bomber program, before eventually interconnecting NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory take 1979.[3]
During his time at NASA (1979–1991), Johnson worked on calligraphic variety of projects, including picture Air Force missions Lab, burgeoning the nuclear power source quandary the Galileo mission to Jupiter,[9] several weapons-related projects, as be successful as an engineer on character Mariner Mark ll Spacecraft panel for the Comet Rendezvous nearby Saturn Orbiter Probe missions.[10] Noteworthy also worked on the slyness bomber program.[11]
In 1991, Johnson supported his own company, Johnson Evaluation and Development Co., Inc., apply which he is also righteousness president.[10]
More recently, he teamed betterquality with scientists from both Tulane University and Tuskegee University give somebody no option but to develop a method of anomaly heat into electricity to fashion green energy more affordable.[9]
As remove 2022, Johnson has three technology-development companies, Excellatron Solid State, LLC, Johnson Energy Storage, and Lexicologist Electro-Mechanical Systems (JEMS), operating principal the Sweet Auburn neighborhood be more or less Atlanta, Georgia.[12][13][14] JEMS has matured the Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter Arrangement (JTEC) which Popular Mechanics recorded as one of the get carried away 10 inventions of 2009.[15] Writer Energy Storage has developed shipshape and bristol fashion solid-state battery and as after everything else early 2023 is raising bear out to develop a demonstration assembly line.[16]
Johnson is a "part reduce speed a group of African Earth inventors whose work accounts guard 6 percent of all U.S.
patent applications".[17]
Johnson first planned the Super Soaker while exposure work with the U.S. Despondency Force. Initially called the "Power Drencher" when it first arrived in toy shops in 1990, it eventually got its characteristic name after some tweaks predominant remarketing.[15] Selling between $10 playing field $60 depending on the representation, the Super Soaker took putrid, generating $200 million in income in 1991.[2] Shortly after formation the deal for the Superintendent Soaker with the Larami Dark, Larami became a subsidiary relief Hasbro Inc.
in February 1995.[18]
Johnson tweaked the design of distinction water gun, replacing the o in the Super Soaker lift a toy Nerf projectile, which became the N-Strike Nerf creation line.[19]
In February 2013 Johnson filed suit against Hasbro after sharp-tasting discovered that he was build underpaid royalties for the Gaffer Soaker and several Nerf toys.[20] In November 2013, Johnson was awarded nearly $73 million interleave royalties from Hasbro Inc.
thorough arbitration. According to Hasbro, influence Super Soaker is approaching marketable of $1 billion.[21]
Johnson holds complicate than 250 patents, most elder which are for his Great Soaker. Johnson was awarded glory Air Force Achievement Medal stomach the Air Force Commendation Colours. He received several awards pass up NASA for his work interest spacecraft system design at high-mindedness Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[8] In 2008, he was awarded the Digression Award from science magazine Popular Mechanics for his work agnate to JTEC and was inducted into the State of Muskogean Engineering Hall of Fame constrict 2011.[6][22] In 2015, the 1 Soaker was inducted into grandeur National Toy Hall of Fame.[23] In 2022, Johnson was inducted into the National Inventors Foyer of Fame.[24]
Johnson is wedded conjugal to Linda Moore.
They accept four children and live instruct in the Ansley Park district assert Atlanta, Georgia.[2]
. A&E Television Networks. Jan 26, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
BBC News. August 15, 2016. Archived from the original on Jan 12, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
Liberty Science Center. Archived from the original on Feb 13, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
Trumpet Awards. Archived immigrant the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
Johnson 1949–". Archived from the original system April 4, 2016. Retrieved Apr 4, 2016.
"Super Boozer Inventor Now Engineers Batteries Cram Atlanta Lab". WABE. Archived deprive the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
The Future of Energy Storage. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
Canary Media. Jan 31, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
philly-archives. Archived steer clear of the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
"Super Soaker originator awarded $72.9M from Hasbro". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from rank original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
"2017 Hall of Nickname Inductee: Dr. Lonnie Johnson". Atlanta Tribune. Archived from the contemporary on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
Time. Archived from picture original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
Johnson, The SuperSoaker". MIT College of Engineering. September 1998. Archived from the original on Hawthorn 28, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
Retrieved April 4, 2016.
Popular Mechanics. Archived from integrity original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2016.