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About Inventor’s Mind
I’m Herbert Roberts — a Licensed Professional Engineer with 32 years in aviation R&D across two major engine programs, 62 patents, and a Six Sigma Black Belt. My career has lived at the intersection of materials science, design engineering, and systematic innovation. For the past eight years I have applied that same methodology as a forensic engineering consultant — translating technical failures into plain language for attorneys and courts.
This publication is about how real invention works. Not the mythology of the lone genius and the lightning bolt. The methodology — FEB (Formen Engpass Barriere), structured problem-solving, forensic failure analysis, and three decades of lessons from turning ideas into hardware. Four kinds of readers find this useful: engineers, patent attorneys, CTOs watching an S-curve flatten, and business owners with a structural problem no consultant has named yet.
I also write about what happens when organizations stop innovating and what it costs them. If you have watched good engineering culture get hollowed out by short-term thinking, you will recognize the stories. Subscribe, then reply to the welcome email with your biggest innovation problem. That question drives everything I write.
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Stay up-to-date
Never miss an update—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. For a spam-free, ad-free reading experience, plus audio and community features, get the Substack app.
Join the crew
Be part of a community of people who share your interests. Participate in the comments section, or support this work with a subscription.
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
