By: Jane Owens

Not scientifically reviewed by Dr. Eeks

From the blackphone to the surgical retractor, there are some incredibly important inventions out there that not enough people know about. Read on for more.

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There are so many inventions out there that are incredibly important in advancing how things are done, particularly in niche industries like medicine and extreme sports. However, with technology advancing as fast as it does all the time, we sometimes miss out on hearing of some of the best inventions out there. Here are 4 important but under-the-radar inventions that we think you need to know about:

1. The Blackphone

One of the newest inventions on this list is the invention of Blackphone. This is a smartphone which is designed to fully protect the privacy of its users. It does this by encrypting all of your data including calls, emails, texts, browsing history and more from your phone to make it significantly more difficult for anyone to hack or find this data. Of course, users still need to take precautions in terms of sharing sensitive or personal data, however, this invention is a step towards greater data safety for all smartphone users.

1. Surgical retractor

Surgical retractors were invented to prevent surgical assistants from having to hold open a wound or incision for the entire length of surgery. This can help to let surgeons work easier, and retractors can also be used to hold organs or tissue out of the way during a procedure. Most recently, self-retaining retractors have been invented to allow for completely hands-free operation, can be altered with just one hand and come in many different shapes and sizes to work for different kinds of procedures. Click here to find more information about surgical retractors and their benefits.

​​3. . Quick-Release Ski Binding

People who enjoy extreme sports might know about this one already, but it is still well worth a mention on this list. The quick-release ski binding was invented in 1937 by Hjalmar Hvam while recovering from a broken leg. It is a mechanism which allows skiers to release the binding that keeps their shoes attached to their ski boards quickly and easily in the case of an emergency. This can be done by twisting feet or angling the feet a certain way to release the board, which could drastically reduce the likelihood of serious injuries in skiers.

4. Kidney Dialysis Machine

The kidney dialysis machine was invented by Dr Willem Kollf, the same doctor who performed the first-ever successful surgery which implanted an artificial heart into a human. The kidney dialysis machine is incredibly useful for those waiting to receive kidney transplants as it works to do everything that a working kidney should do. This was even further improved by the invention of Dr Belding Scribner in 1960 when he successfully invented a Teflon shunt which was able to be permanently implanted into a patient. The shunt is critical for the use of a Kidney dialysis machine as it prevents the clotting of a patient’s blood during the procedure, and so a permanent fixture is perfect for patients receiving long-term treatment, which may be as often as several times a week.

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