One of his most important is his invention of radio. Before World War I (WWI) the range of radio transmission was very small indeed and the range was very limited too. It was not until the First World War that wireless communication became commonplace. This is because Nikola Tesla showed his great potential as an inventor.
The biggest and most outstanding of all his inventions is the electric generator. He used one of his new designs – the magnifying transmitter – and set up a dynamo connected to it. The generator he invented could convert kinetic energy into electrical energy – and he showed how to do this by using an induction motor – a device which uses the concept of magnetism to generate perpetual motion. And, of course, we know about the alternating current that is produced by this device.
One of his most important inventions was a machine called the induction motor. It was so effective that the war came to an end just before its effects could be tested. The reason was the simple shortage of hydroelectric power. Power could be created only at the enormous cost of a huge dam. The tremendous savings that resulted from his discovery, his industrial genius and his alternating current – produced by his magnifying transmitter – made the end of WWI much less painful for him.
His greatest achievement was in the field of wireless communication. Wireless telegraphs were the forerunners of modem technology. And, when the wires were replaced by the wires that we have today, everything changed dramatically. Telephones became common, and long distance telephone calls were no more a luxury. And, when the cables gave way to radio waves, mankind experienced a huge leap forward in its technological progress.
In his book, “How the New Machines Work,” Toscano envisioned electric lights in huge rooms, where he proposed how to use the accumulated energy to power up the whole house. He was equally aware that harnessing electrical energy would have serious consequences, such as the destruction of the environment. And he realized that such a system required a new kind of power generating system. His new system, however, did not use the heat energy of fire, but harnessed the light energy that emitted from natural sources like sunlight, waterfalls and volcanoes.
In his book, “The Principles of Electrical Energy,” Toscano recognized the importance of uniformity and purity. As long as there are different sources of electrical energy, we will always have electric shortages. So it was important to design a device that would harness electrical energy in its pure form. He is probably best known as the person who invented the electrical generator.