Famous Armenian Inventors

Since the greatest human invention is widely regarded as the alphabet, I decided to start this list with Mesrop Mashtots!

Statues of Mesrop Mashtots and his student Koryun in front of Matenadaran

Regarded as the father of the Armenian alphabet (405 AD), Mesrop Mashtots created one of the earliest alphabets globally. He is also considered to be the creator of the Caucasian Albanian and Georgian alphabets by a number of scholars.

Raymond Vahan Damadian with the machine he named 'Indomitable,' which made the world's first MRI scan on July 3, 1977. (This picture was taken at the Smithsonian Institution Exhibit in 1986)

Raymond Vahan Damadian was an American-Armenia physician, medical practitioner, and the inventor of the first NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) scanning machine.

Damadian's research into sodium and potassium in living cells led him to his first experiments with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which prompted him to propose the MR body scanner in 1969. His discovery that tumors and normal tissue can be distinguished in vivo by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) due to their prolonged relaxation times, both T1 (spin-lattice relaxation) or T2 (spin-spin relaxation), laid the foundation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In 1977, Damadian performed the first full-body scan of a human being to diagnose cancer, using the method he invented.

Throughout his career, Damadian received several prizes for his groundbreaking contributions. In 2001, the Lemelson-MIT Prize Program honored him with its $100,000 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing him as "the man who invented the MRI scanner.

Luther George Simjian

Known as the "Father of the ATM," Simjian designed the first automated teller machine, changing how we access cash. With over 200 patents, primarily related to optics and electronics, his contributions include a pioneering flight simulator and improvements to the teleprompter.

Artem Mikoyan

An aeronautical mastermind, Mikoyan co-founded the MiG aircraft design bureau, responsible for some of the world's most iconic fighter jets. Under his leadership (together with M.I. Gurevich and V.A. Romodin), the MiG-1 and MiG-3 fighter aircraft that participated in the Great Patriotic War were created. After the war, the Mikoyan Design Bureau developed the MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27, and MiG-29 fighters.

A total of 55 world records were set on Mikoyan Design Bureau aircraft.

Oscar H. Banker (born Asatour Sarafian)

Asatour Sarafian, an Armenian-American inventor, patented various works, including an automatic transmission for automobiles, a needleless inoculation gun, the primary controls of the first Sikorsky helicopter, and power steering.

Known as the "Ice Cream Cone King," Tatosian patented the first waffle cone mold, enhancing the enjoyment of the quintessential summertime treat.

Waffle cones were hand-rolled until 1912 when Frederick Bruckman is believed to have invented a rolling machine. In 1923, Harry G. Tatosian secured a U.S. patent for a machine to roll ice cream cones. In 1924, Carl R. Taylor received a U.S. patent for a machine that, in conjunction with a wafer baking machine, rolled cones from hot waffles, simultaneously cooling them.

Here is a list of patents related to various machines:

Melba toast making machine (thin slice of toasted bread, patent US2349583A)

Ice cream cone forming and placing machine (US1804039A)

Ice cream cone rolling machine (US1576011A)

Cake making and forming machine (US2321634A)

Cooking method Melba Toast Maker (US2349582A)

Iron Cake Baking Machine (US2029448A)

Toast Maker (US2514977A)

Sugar Cone Baking Machine (US1540041A)

Iron Baking Machine and Stripper (US1936649A)

Baking Machine (US1936649A)

Cake transfer machine (US2722178A)

Ice cream cone rolling machine (second patent, US1440851A)

Sugar cone making machine (US2213727A)

Endless ribbon blade bread slicer (US2569545A)

Ice cream machine (US1765464A)

Pastry cone design (USD64482S)

Cake Making and Forming Machine (CA413727A)

Sarkis Acopian (1947)

Sarkis Akopian studied mechanical engineering at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, before leaving to serve in the United States Army. After receiving an honorable discharge, he graduated from Lafayette with a B.S. in mechanical engineering.

After graduation, Akopian joined Weller Electric Corp., where he designed a power sander and a soldering gun, which later became their main products. Motivated by his success, he founded Acopian Technical Company in 1957 with a small loan. There, he designed and manufactured the first solar radio, promoted as "Revolutionary – No Batteries or Outside Electrical Plug-ins – Uses light for its source of energy."

In 1960, the company began manufacturing low-cost, plug-in regulated power supplies utilizing vacuum tubes. Akopian's inventions include engine power supplies, air and fuel purification devices, and electrical energy converters.

Hovannes Adamian

An Armenian engineer and inventor of more than 20 creations, Adamian played a crucial role in the development of color television. The first experimental color television, based on Adamian's tricolor principle, was showcased in London in 1928, marking him as one of the founders of color television.