14. Dr. Jose Hernandez-Rebollar’s invention has helped countless people who are hard-of-hearing
Nationality: Mexican
Dr. Jose Hernandez-Rebollar was born in Puebla, Mexico, on the 14th of July, 1969. He is best known as the creator of an electrical glove called the “AcceleGlove,” which converts American Sign Language hand gestures into spoken and written words.
He graduated from the University of Puebla with a BSc and an MSc and moved to the U.S. in 1998 after he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to attend George Washington University in Washington, DC.
His field is electrical engineering, and the sensor-studded glove was his doctoral engineering project. The AcceleGlove contains sensors that work with a micro-controller attached to the wearer’s arm and maps the movement of the arm and fingers. The information is turned into data that a computer converts into words on a speaker or into text on a screen.
15. Isaac Peral y Caballero invented an early electrical submarine
Isaac_Peral_(Ayuntamiento_de_Cartagena).jpg
Nationality: Spanish
Spanish engineer and naval officer Isaac Peral y Caballero (1851-1895) is credited with creating an early electrical-powered submarine, the “Peral Submarine.”
After spending his early years in Spain, he enlisted in the Spanish navy in 1866. On September 20, 1884, after years in the Navy, Peral first had the idea for his “Proyecto de Torpedero Submarino” (“Project for a submarine torpedo-boat”), which he wrote about in a paper.
Peral presented his idea to the Spanish navy staff after conducting various investigations and experiments and receiving approval from his superiors and fellow officers. Vice-admiral Pezuela y Lobo, the minister of the Spanish navy, received a letter from him in September 1885.
Peral was called to Madrid by Pezuela y Lobo for a one-on-one interview. Following the interview, Pezuela y Lobo agreed to support Peral’s initial research in Cádiz with a 5,000 peseta budget before starting a project to construct a full-scale submarine boat.
