Adjunct Professor Ernesto Blanco of mechanical engineering displayed some of his inventions in the department's first-floor lounge earlier this week. Blanco, who first came to MIT in 1960, has taught Elements of Mechanical Design (2.72) since 1996. In that time, seven patents have come out of the course, including one used in the push-button operated "disappearing seats" in the Cadillac SRX. Blanco has 200 patents, but is best known for his Flip-It pancake flipper. His safety trocar (above) would prevent surgeons from accidentally puncturing internal organs during endoscopic surgery. Photo / Donna Coveney
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 4, 2005 (download PDF).
