6 Innovations from Slovakia That Changed the World

The parachute was invented and patented by Štefan Banič (1870 – 1941), born in Smolenice in western Slovakia. In 1907, Banič left for the US to find a better life. It is said that the idea of constructing a parachute came to him after he witnessed a tragic plane crash. In 1913, he submitted his prototype to the US authorities for assessment. The Slovak parachute worked on the umbrella principle and was fastened to the pilot’s body using belts across the chest and under the arms. 

One year later, he introduced his own parachute design to the public. The demonstration was truly breathtaking – Štefan Banič jumped off the rooftop of a 15-floor building in Washington, DC. The patent was then purchased by the US Army for just a couple of dollars. 

In 1920, Štefan Banič returned to his hometown in Slovakia. The discovery of Driny, an important Slovak cave near Smolenice, was also attributed to him. 

Jozef Karol Hell (1713 – 1789), Slovak mechanical engineer and inventor, was born in Banská Štiavnica, Central Slovakia. This region is famous for the mining of precious metals, especially silver. Banská Štiavnica also boasts a significant academic tradition and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993. 

Hell became famous mainly for his sophisticated mining machinery and pumps. In 1736, he invented a beam pumping machine, which was followed by other mining innovations. The wooden beam pumping machine could pump out more than 200 liters of water per minute up to a height of 80 meters. He also constructed a wooden water-pillar pumping machine, and in 1758, he used a new element for powering mining equipment – compressed air. 

With another Slovak scientist, Samuel Mikovíni, he contributed to the construction of a fascinating system of water reservoirs around Banská Štiavnica, known as “tajchy”, which served as a source of energy for mining technology. He also constructed a facility for cleaning the air in mines and for feeding fresh air into underground spaces. 

These revolutionary changes greatly improved the labor and social conditions of the miners, which also increased the mines’ profits. Together with Professor Samuel Mikovíni, Jozef Karol Hell, as the chief engineer, completed the mechanization of mining engines and contributed to the development of mining in Štiavnica.

Tip for you: If you ever visit Slovakia, you definitely shouldn’t skip Banská Štiavnica and its “tajchy”. You can also swim in a number of them! TOP of Štiavnica – Banská Štiavnica Region (banskastiavnica.travel)

The first radio was constructed by Jozef Murgaš (1864 – 1929) from Tajov, Central Slovakia. Born in the village of Tajov-Jabríková, Murgaš and his family emigrated to the US when he was still a child. There he later became a pioneer of wireless telegraphy.

His most famous invention was the wireless transmission of speech from the sender to the recipient, earning him the title of inventor of the radio. In 1905, his successes became so significant that the joint-stock company Universal Aether Telegraph Co. was established in Philadelphia in order to commercially utilize his knowledge and inventions. With the help of this company, Murgaš managed to construct a test receiver with 60-meter antenna masts. 

Štefan Klein, a Slovak designer, constructor and university teacher, is the inventor of the first flying automobile, which he started developing in 1990. He was inspired by the flying car in the French film Fantomas Unleashed. He built the very first version of the AeroMobil 1.0 in his garage.

The AeroMobil is a hybrid vehicle with a flight option. To drive it, you need both a driver’s license and a pilot’s license. Its estimated price was USD 1.6 million. The two-seat AeroMobil moves in the air just like an airplane. It is equipped with a propeller in the rear section of the body which provides propulsion, and a retractable wing which generates lift during flight. You can drive it on the road as any other car, fill it up with fuel at a gas station, as well as park in regular spaces.

With the support of the first investor, the 2.5 version of the car was introduced at an exhibition in Montreal in 2013, where it became a huge success. In 2014, the AeroMobil 3.0 prototype was introduced at the Pioneers Festival conference in Vienna. This model passed all the tests in the air as well as on the ground, and served as the foundation for further versions. On May 8, 2015, the AeroMobil had its first accident. Štefan Klein and his invention crashed from the height over 270 meters. He survived without injuries, which proved the exceptional safety of his invention. Despite this, the interest in his invention hasn’t waned – in fact, it has increased.

After some time however, Štefan Klein left the project. In the fall of 2020, he founded a new company, Klein Vision, where he started to develop a new model, the AirCar.

The Ecocapsule is an egg-shaped mobile home, which utilizes solar and wind energy. It was developed by Nice Architect, a Bratislava-based company. Its shape resembles an egg, since this kind of shape minimizes the surface-area-to-volume ratio. The walls are made of two layers of fiberglass with polyurethane foam in between.

In addition to year-round living, it can also be used as a shelter for disaster relief, as a scientific research station, or as a short-term rental in remote and secluded locations.

The most interesting fact about it is its ecological impact. It’s primarily powered by a built-in wind turbine and a highly-efficient solar panel. The design produces more energy than it consumes, provided that the outdoor temperature remains within the range of -5°C and 50°C. It has an efficient air conditioning system and a heat exchanger, which uses the exhaust air for heating the fresh air intake. The capsule also utilizes rain water, which is treated by a pre-filtration system and two UV LED lamps. The capsule is equipped with a central computer that monitors the levels of electricity and water, with the option to control it using a mobile app. It should be able to provide living off the grid for its inhabitants for a couple of weeks up to several months.

The Slovak company Innovatrics was the first in the world to introduce eKYC solutions which enable a comprehensive remote verification and management of identity. This solution is especially tailored to the needs of banks and telecommunications companies for online sales of their products and services to new customers.

Tatra banka is one of the banks that utilize this technology by Innovatrics. It became the first bank in Slovakia to use such technology for verifying their clients as part of the account opening procedure or in activation of the authentication tool known as Čítačkaᵀᴮ (Readerᵀᴮ). Tatra banka’s facial biometry (Face biometricsᵀᴮ) is based on a technology that scans and evaluates a number of different points and surfaces on the face. It distinguishes whether the scanned object is really a human or just a photo, and then compares the scanned face with the photo from the ID card. During facial recognition, it also considers various deviations, it notices if the client’s eyes and mouth are open or closed, if they are wearing glasses, and is able to recognize the sex and age of the person whose face is scanned. Tatra banka has pushed the use of this technology even further and also offers its Face biometricsᵀᴮ product to third parties. Thanks to this, other companies can simplify the fulfillment of their legal obligations relating to identification of persons, and above all, they are able to simplify the process of registration and entering data for their end customers.