Robinson, James H.
unknown · Contribution: 1899
Lifesaving net device for rescuing people from the path of speeding locomotives
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
His invention, documented on Henry Baker's list of Black patent holders, was designed to use a net mechanism to scoop a person off the tracks ahead of an oncoming train, reducing what would otherwise be fatal accidents to survivable injuries.
Life & background
An inventor whose 1899 patent application described a lifesaving device using a net to rescue a person lying on railroad tracks ahead of an approaching train, designed so 'the only injury' would be the shock of being suddenly caught up by the moving train rather than being struck directly.
Sources
- Washington Post; Philadelphia Tribune (USPTO/Baker's list feature)
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