By Greg Wilson
Imagine creating an invention that would go on to spawn billions in sales… But not getting your fair share.
That’s the case of Lonnie Johnson, a life-long inventor.
It started in high school with his first invention, a four-foot-tall robot with operating hands.
At the time, 1968, it was quite an impressive feat. And it won Lonnie his high school science competition. He’s been an inventor ever since.
In 1979, he got his first patent on a device he called the Digital Distance Measuring Instrument. Without getting into the technical details, it’s the foundational technology for CDs and DVDs.
At their peak, CDs generated over $13 billion in sales annually. For DVDs, it was $16 billion.