Engineer and inventor Norman McCombs shares pearls of wisdom during a fireside chat on Thursday, March 26 hosted by the UNLV College of Engineering Alumni Chapter and the Silver State ASME section. (Photo courtesy of Radioactive Productions)
Tech entrepreneur Norman McCombs (center) and his wife Suky were celebrated by the UNLV College of Engineering and the Engineering Alumni Chapter during a fireside chat on Thursday, March 26. Also pictured are Rama Venkat, dean of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering (far left), and Bradford Colton (far right), engineering alumnus and event emcee. (Photo by Kerry Sallee)
Engineer and inventor of the portable oxygen concentrator shares life story with next generation of innovators.
In 1939, at the age of 2, Norman McCombs trailed behind his parents as they took in the sights and sounds of the World’s Fair in New York City.
The event, aptly themed “the world of tomorrow,” turned out to be a fortuitous moment for the young toddler and a foreshadowing of what was to come.
Inventor. Artist. Writer. Engineer. Chef. Tech entrepreneur. These are just a few of the titles McCombs has held throughout his life, which he explored during an engaging fireside chat on March 26 hosted by UNLV Engineering alumnus Bradford Colton.
“As you move through life, observe, identify a need. Every day, do something,” he said. “And imagine how you might meet that need in a more effective way from a performance, cost, aesthetic or ecological perspective.
“Look at it from all angles. You may come up with something that profoundly affects society.”
For McCombs, the solution that ultimately changed both his work and professional life was the portable oxygen concentrator — an invention that is credited with extending the life of millions and earned him the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Obama in 2013.
The electrically driven appliance delivers oxygen demand, and eliminates the need for the use of dangerous, often inaccessible, oxygen to those experiencing a wide range of respiratory ailments.
The invention was a far cry from the 60 feet of tubing attached to an oxygen tank that Colton’s grandmother needed to breathe.
“She had 60 feet of tubing connecting her to her oxygen machine in the living room so she could wander her whole house breathing oxygen,” he recalled. “Little did I understand at the time, this invention of ‘Grandma on a leash’ was Norm's life work. Thank you, Norm, for providing comfort to my grandmother and likely to the grandmothers of many of those in the rooms.”
McCombs has also received numerous other awards for technical achievement and holds over 200 patents worldwide, primarily for air separation technology used for a myriad of oxygen applications around the world.
“It’s a career built on curiosity, persistence, and working hard and smart,” Colton said, adding that McCombs is also a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, which honored him with the EDISON Medal, their highest patent award.
The key to his success? An intricate fusing of knowledge and imagination — a pairing that every innovator requires.
“One needs knowledge to effectively implement the ideas created by your imagination,” McCombs shared. “There are eureka moments, but they have become rarer in this modern world.”
He shared other pearls of wisdom too, like, listen more than you speak and always be on the lookout for ideas, even from unexpected places.
“You are using your imagination a considerable amount of time,” he said. “‘What’s for dinner?’ That’s a problem to solve. ‘Shall I rearrange the furniture? What shall I buy for a present?’ Exercise your imagination. Use it to look at things from all angles.”
Ultimately, to “win the war of invention,” persistence and “leading from the front” wins out.
“When developing a new product, I compare it to a battle,” McCombs said. “The important thing is to have a well-defined goal. Along the way there are many obstacles. But you don’t quit. You continue to move forward and overcome the next obstacle. Eventually you win the war.”