Jeff Woolf and the Morpher Helmet Part 1 Show Notes
Businessman and Inventor Jeff Woolf is Holding his Bicycle Helmet Invention…the Morpher Helmet. The Morpher Helmet has been named to Time Magazines Best Inventions of 2016. Why did Jeff invent it, better yet…what’s the real story behind his life saving morpher helmet? We invite you to listen to Episode 22 of the Invention Stories Podcast…Jeff Woolf and The Morpher Helmet Part1. This is the first part in a 3-part series.
Jeff Woolf…
Jeff Woolf is a successful inventor and entrepreneur who grew up on the outskirts of London in Edgware, Middlesex, England. Having a mother and grandfather who invented, I guess you could say inventing was in Jeff’s DNA.
Jeff Woolf had a passion for photography, physics, chemistry while in school when he attended a exhibition in London about holograms and loved it. So he began his career working with them.
Jeff Woolf and Micromaps
We discussed Jeff’s first invention, micromaps, a way of showing statistical graphics for a small subset of regions at a time, with a small map indicating which regions are being looked at in each of the small multiples. He used his knowledge of holograms and lasers to do it. He did quite well, selling his micromaps to lots of organization worldwide but although many people made money, Jeff only wound up with 6% of the business while working 100 hours per week.
This led to Jeff working for a rich investors private fund where he presided over inventors who came to him with ideas. Very few of the inventors had any business sense and even fewer of them had business plans, so Jeff became a business plan expert. The one thing Jeff believes through interviewing so many of them is that inventor are paranoid. Jeff believes and shares many truths that inventors believe that just aren’t true.
Riding without a helmet
Jeff used to bike riding without a helmet and good thing he was wearing one the day he had a terrible bicycle accident. We discuss the crash in detail, the physical and psychological toll that has been taken and so much more…
This episode is the first in a three-part series.
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Jeff Woolf…Holography, MicroMap, and the Morpher Helmet
Jeff Woolf was born in Edgware, Middlesex, England September 17, 1959. He is an English inventor, businessman, journalist and innovation specialist.
Jeff Woolf is the middle child with an older and younger sister. He was educated at Clifton University in Bristol. His late grandfather, Stanley Wagner, invented the Jif lemon and his mother, Valerie, invented several calendar and accounting systems.
Jeff started his inventing career in 1979, working with white light holography. He attended the first world symposium on holography in 1980, in Boston and studied holography at the New York School of Holography.
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In this Episode 22 of the Invention Stories Podcast, we interview Jeff Woolf about what led him to invent the Morpher Helmet.
Jeff Woolf is a successful inventor and entrepreneur who grew up in Edgware, Middlesex, England. In addition, Jeff shares his journey as a businessman, journalist and innovation specialist. In fact, Jeff has been twice awarded British Inventor of the year. He was awarded an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001, for services to innovation and business. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
We discuss his humble beginnings, early work history and the accident that led to his inventing the Morpher Helmet in this episode. This episode is the first in a 3-part series.
Thank you for listening and please…tell a friend.
Jeff Woolf and the MicroMap System
Jeff Woolf developed the MicroMap System in 1993. He oversaw the design and manufacture of MicroMap. He invented this to solve problems associated with handling large paper maps outdoors. Skiers first used MicroMap. So it consisted of credit-card sized miniaturized maps which fitted into the MicroMap viewer and held in a precisely curved plane. The viewer had a move-able lens system which re-enlarged the MicroMap cards, allowing a user to have a clear view of the miniaturized information.
Jeff created an injection molded lens to save on cost. So this made assembly of the MicroMap viewer a much simpler process. He also developed systems to print information onto credit cards at high resolutions of more than six million randomly placed and sized dots per square inch.
There is a display on the development of MicroMap in the Science Museum in London. In addition, MicroMap has been featured in the Millennium Dome and awarded the Millennium product status.
MicroMap produced cards for Ordnance Survey, the Automobile Association, USGS and Michelin. In addition, MicroMap has been used by the SAS for bomb disposal and survival information.
Morpher Helmet
Jeff Woolf had a severe bicycle accident on the road in Hampstead, London and believes because he wore a helmet, it saved his life. So he performed a survey where he learned the majority of cyclists were riding without helmets. This survey found that most cyclists said that they didn’t use one because they felt that they were too cumbersome to carry around all day. As a result, Jeff designed a helmet that folds flat and more portable. Finally, the Morpher Helmet was the result of research, imagination, dreams, engineering, blood, sweat, and tears.
Episode 22 is the First in a Three Part Series
We would like to thank Jeff Woolf for allowing us to interview him. The difference between a bicycle accident and a catastrophic event is small. He followed his passion to create a product that can be life changing. We’ve interviewed over 300 inventors over the years and believe this interview to best among the best. We invite you to check you listen to part 2 and 3.
Episode 23…Jeff Woolf and the Morpher Helmet Part 2
Jeff shares the story of how a bike riders life was saved by wearing the Morpher Helmet. In addition, he shares that Morpher is working on a helmet for skiers, snowboarders and the military. Finally, he shares his thoughts on Bicycle Schemes worldwide and the expected increase in demand for his Morpher Helmet. Click here to listen to the Invention Stories Podcast Jeff Woolf and the Morpher Helmet Part 2.
Episode 24…Jeff Woolf and the Morpher Helmet Part 3
Jeff Woolf shares why the hinge used on the Morpher Helmet isn’t a traditional one. So the initial manufacturing run of the Morpher Helmet built the helmets far too big. You can hear the frustration in his voice as Jeff shares the concerns of friends and family members. As a result, everyone thought the stress was taken a toll on him. Jeff’s Indiegogo success was a great and Jeff shares how his campaign helped fuel sales. Queen Elizabeth of England has bestowed an OBE on Jeff and he shares this experience.
Jeff Woolf…10 Links…More Information
First of all, click here to read about Jeff Woolf on Wikipedia
and here to visit the Wikipedia Facebook Page.
Another great read, click here for Invention Awards 2014: Stash Your Bike Helmet In A Briefcase by popularscience.com and here for their Facebook Page.
Also, click here to read Entrepreneur Jeff Woolf donates hundreds of folding helmets to Norwood cyclists for Israel charity challenge on norwood.org.uk and here to visit their Facebook Page.
In addition, click here to read Hobnobbing with Jeff Woolf OBE from Morpher by Kareema Ali at businesscomparison.com and here to visit the BusinessComparison.com Facebook Page.
Finally, click here to read Locating and Landing Sources of Funding at clarity.fm
and here to visit the Clarity Facebook Page.
Are You An Inventor?
If you are an inventor and have an idea for an invention, we invite to listen to the Invention Stories Podcast. A great place to start is Episode 1 with Forbes Riley.
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