Episode Guide

Innovation Nation

Ep 157 | Barnstorming

Host Mo Rocca shows us synchronized drones taking the place of fireworks; the robotic lawn mower that cuts your grass on its own; two fathers who invented a car seat that fits in a small pouch; and, when the circus took to the sky with barnstorming flyers.
Original Air Date: January 2, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 158 | Women Inventors

Host Mo Rocca shows us the innovation of beautiful homes made of earth; opening your front door with a touch; highway guard rails that roll away crashes; and, historic women inventors.
Original Air Date: January 9, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 159 | Menlo Park, December 1880

Host Mo Rocca shows us weather stations in your back yard; the oven that keeps food cold until cook time; keeping your carpets clean without taking off your shoes; and, how Edison convinced New York politicians that his way was the future.
Original Air Date: January 16, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 160 | 1931 Bugatti Royale

Host Mo Rocca shows us tiny satellites that you can control; the highest tech in vending machines; TV training your dog while you’re not home; and, the story of one of the most luxurious cars ever built.
Original Air Date: January 23, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 161 | Voting Technology

Host Mo Rocca shows us the smart thermometers predicting disease hot spots; the sliding patio dog door; replacing tissues with a cloth handkerchief dispenser; and, the evolution of voting technology.
Original Air Date: January 30, 2021
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Ep 162 | Nikola Tesla

Host Mo Rocca shows us tiny alarm pods to protect your valuables; the bathroom scale that checks your balance; canceling the noise outside; and, the genius of Nikola Tesla.
Original Air Date: February 6, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 163 | Beekeeping

Host Mo Rocca shows us the motorized surfboard fin; a super absorbent sponge to keep construction going after rainstorms; glasses that monitor your health; and, the history of beehives and harvesting honey.
Original Air Date: February 13, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 164 | Telephones

Host Mo Rocca shows us the body airbag for motorcycle safety; the sleep/wake system that uses colored light to help you rest; the handheld mini printer that prints with a swipe; and, the history of the telephone.
Original Air Date: February 20, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 165 | Wool Carding

Host Mo Rocca shows us a swimming and walking robot; a device to drain the pain of clogged sinuses; the smartest cutting board for your kitchen; and, machines that prepared wool fibers to become yarn.
Original Air Date: February 27, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 166 | Creative Circuits

Host Mo Rocca shows us: the device to quickly teach you how to play the guitar; a drone-less way to take aerial photos; the backpack that displays messages; and, how early tech hacks led to new innovations.
Original Air Date: April 10, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 167 | Encyclopedias

Host Mo Rocca shows us: a motorized bodyboard for watersports; saving your leftovers with reusable pinch top bags; matching paint color with a high-tech sensor; and, the history of encyclopedias.
Original Air Date: April 17, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 168 | Best of - Beekeeping

Host Mo Rocca shows us: synchronized drones with lights taking the place of fireworks; tiny alarm pods to protect your valuables; TV training your dog while you’re not home; and, the history of beehives and harvesting honey.
Original Air Date: April 24, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 169 | Cookbooks

Host Mo Rocca shows us: how artificial intelligence is taking over drone racing; purses and totes made from old highway billboards; a look back at our past innovators; and, how cookbooks changed the culinary world.
Original Air Date: May 1, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 170 | Air Traffic Management

Host Mo Rocca shows us: robot realtors touring homes for sale; the vibrating wristband that helps the hearing impaired; 3D printed corneas; and, the beginnings of air traffic control.
Original Air Date: May 8, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 171 | Currier Shoe Shop

Host Mo Rocca shows us: a wearable walkie talkie; an over-the-top door camera to help secure homes and apartments; a device to clean and recycle used water in the home; and, the Currier Shoe Shop story.
Original Air Date: May 15, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 173 | Weathervanes

Host Mo Rocca shows us: a check-in with the inventor of the Ring Video Doorbell; 3D printers that swarm; the telescope to view stars on your phone; and, early forecasting with weathervanes.
Original Air Date: May 29, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 174 | Best of – Nikola Tesla

Host Mo Rocca shows us the device to quickly teach you how to play guitar; the robotic lawn mower that cuts your grass on its own; replacing tissue with a cloth handkerchief dispenser; and, the genius of Nikola Tesla.
Original Air Date: July 3, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 175 | Greenfield Village

Host Mo Rocca shows us the ultimate electric motorcycle; the inventor who created phone calls over the internet; turning cacti into leather; and, the planning it takes to create a village.
Original Air Date: July 10, 2021
Innovation Nation

Ep 131 | Sewing Machines

Host Mo Rocca shows us the innovator creating superstrong thread from spider DNA; the boxing robot dodging your jabs; the tiny drone that keeps soldiers safe; and, when the sewing machine replaced the needle and thread.
Original Air Date: 09/28/2019
Innovation Nation

Ep 132 | Station Wagons

Host Mo Rocca shows us the bot baking you the freshest bread; the family building the air cleaner for the cleanest air; glasses to prevent motion sickness; and, going way, way back to the history of the station wagon.
Original Air Date: 10/05/2019
Innovation Nation

Ep 133 | Tripp Sawmill

Host Mo Rocca shows us the crime-fighting tether tripping up bad guys; the woman who started the blow-drying empire; window blinds powering your place; and, when the big wood saw was replaced with the sawmill.
Original Air Date: 10/12/2019
Innovation Nation

Ep 134 | Assistive Technology

Host Mo Rocca shows us the inventor of the Alinker Bike that’s changing the world for those with limited mobility; the school bus tracker cutting out waiting at bus stops; a shoe sole sensor keeping track of your feet; and, when tech began to aid accessibility.
Original Air Date: 10/19/2019
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Ep 135 | Art Glass

Host Mo Rocca shows us robots that grow as they slither along; the wall shelves just for cats; French igloos, housing their homeless; and, when glass became artistic.
Original Air Date: 10/26/2019
Innovation Nation

Ep 136 | Inventor Tenacity

Host Mo Rocca shows us the emergency airplane slides for buildings and schools; parking sensors for your older car; the smartest ski boots on the slopes; and, the incredible tenacity it takes to be a successful inventor.
Original Air Date: 11/2/2019
Innovation Nation

Ep 137 | 1865 Roper Steam Carriage

Host Mo Rocca shows us technology that lets firefighters see through smoke; replacing the needle with jet-injected medicine; an enzyme that can eat landfill plastic; and, the oldest surviving American automobile.
Original Air Date: November 9, 2019
Innovation Nation

Ep 138 | J.R. Jones General Store

Host Mo Rocca shows us a women’s rain boot stylishly keeping shoes dry; the tomato sorter swatting away the green ones; the folding origami hot drink cup with no plastic lid; and, before superstores, there were general stores.
Original Air Date: November 16, 2019
Innovation Nation

Ep 139 | Vacuum Cleaners

Host Mo Rocca shows us the device forcing scofflaws to pay parking tickets by covering their windshields; closing a wound with a zip, not a stitch; bike navigation showing riders the way; and, carpets took a beating until the vacuum cleaner was invented.
Original Air Date: November 23, 2019
Innovation Nation

Ep 140 | Comic Books

Host Mo Rocca shows us solar power that follows the sun; the wristband lulling you to sleep; the device letting us know if our water is pure; and, the beginning of superhero comic books.
Original Air Date: January 18, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 141 | Collections Connections

Mo Rocca shows us grown-up building blocks; the mechanical shoe for those who can’t bend over; the breathing pillow to snuggle you to sleep; and, keeping track of historic innovations.
Original Air Date: January 25, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 142 | Best of - Tripp Sawmill

Mo Rocca shows us the bot baking you the freshest bread; the crime-fighting tether tripping up bad guys; the tiny drone keeping soldiers safe; and, when the big wood saw was replaced with the sawmill.
Original Air Date: February 1, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 143 | Hybrid Technology

Host Mo Rocca shows us the robot helping keep hospitals running smoothly; the device that can detect if that spot on your arm is skin cancer; concrete that drinks up rainwater; and, how hybrid technology goes back a lot further in history than you might think.
Original Air Date: February 8, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 144 | George Washington Carver

Mo Rocca shows us the electronic glasses that allow the blind to see; the sun tracking umbrella shielding you from harmful rays; updates on past innovators from previous seasons; and, a look at George Washington Carver, who changed the way farmers farmed.
Original Air Date: February 15, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 145 | Mattox Family Home

Host Mo Rocca shows us the medical device giving shots with pressure instead of a needle; testing your eyes for glasses with an app on your phone; the airbag backpack saving people during avalanches; and, a glimpse at one family’s life during the 1930s.
Original Air Date: February 22, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 146 | Eggs

Mo Rocca shows us microphones listening for deforestation; the bot that disinfects the sheets on your bed; the braille watch letting the blind tell time; and, how eggs became a common food throughout America.
Original Air Date: February 29, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 147 | Mobile Music

Host Mo Rocca shows us the doorbell just for your dog; the toddler carrier that lets kids stand up for the ride; the app that counts your calories by taking a picture of your food; and, when music became mobile.
Original Air Date: March 7, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 148 | Best of - Sewing Machines

Host Mo Rocca shows us the inventor of a bike that’s changing the world for those with limited mobility; the emergency airplane slides for buildings and schools; glasses to prevent motion sickness; and, when the sewing machine replaced the needle and thread.
Original Air Date: March 28, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 149 | Tintype Photography

Host Mo Rocca shows us the tech perfecting downhill skiing skills without snow; the engineering transforming theater seats; starting a fire with the pull of a string; and, how pictures were taken before film.
Original Air Date: April 4, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 150 | Luther Burbank

Host Mo Rocca shows us the greening of mouth care with plastic-free tablet toothpaste; the smartphone harness preventing the drop; the cane for the blind that gives directions; and, the potato that started trillions of french fries.
Original Air Date: April 11, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 151 | Refrigerator Cars

Host Mo Rocca shows us the kitchen garden growing dinner; the robot keeping property safe; the screen filter that protects your eyes from dangerous blue light; and, how refrigerated railroad cars brought food to the masses.
Original Air Date: April 18, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 152 | Best of - Comic Books

Host Mo Rocca shows us the innovator creating superstrong thread from spider DNA; technology that lets firefighters see through smoke; the breathing pillow to snuggle you to sleep; and, the beginning of superhero comic books.
Original Air Date: April 25, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 153 | Tools

Host Mo Rocca shows us the rise of shared electric scooters; the modular backyard ice rink; portable solar power to aid in disasters; and, how precision tools accelerated innovation.
Original Air Date: October 3, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 154 | Hay

Host Mo Rocca shows us the innovator replacing plastic straws with seaweed; the car alarm that texts you; the robot that writes on walls; and, how hay helps farmers keep livestock healthy.
Original Air Date: October 10, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 155 | Salt Kiln

Host Mo Rocca shows us the robot teaching children different languages; technology to prevent bed wetting among children; how salt helped beautify pottery; and advice from our past innovators.
Original Air Date: October 17, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 156 | Best of - Station Wagons

Host Mo Rocca shows us the woman who started the blow-drying empire; the school bus tracker cutting out waiting at the bus stop; concrete that drinks up rainwater; and, going way, way back to the history of the station wagon.
Original Air Date: October 24, 2020
Innovation Nation

Ep 108 | Geometric Pies featuring ham radio

Host Mo Rocca shows us saving homes from floods with an inner tube-like system; the baker using math to create her artistic pies; the French app maker keeping travelers safe by warning of high crime areas to avoid; and, the history of ham radios keeping the world connected.
Original Air Date: 10/20/2018
Innovation Nation

Ep 110 | Africa Blood Drone featuring typewriters

Host Mo Rocca shows us the startup using drones to deliver lifesaving blood to hard-to-reach villages in Africa; the bed fan that’s a hot leg fan; 3D-printed bicycle tires that never go flat; and, how the typewriter changed the history of communication.
Original Air Date: 11/03/2018
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Ep 112 | Hydrofoil Surfboard featuring railroad cabooses

Host Mo Rocca shows us the creator of the Jetfoiler Surfboard that rides high above the waves; the device pointing the way to friends lost in crowds or wilderness; the weeding robot keeping gardens growing their best; and, the importance of the train caboose, bringing up the rear.
Original Air Date: 11/17/18
Innovation Nation

Ep 116 | Fog Security featuring Ham Radio

Host Mo Rocca shows us the fog security system that deters burglars; the jet hoverboard that flies over 100 mph as high as 9,000 feet; the new discovery to grow crops in deserts; and, the history of ham radios keeping the world connected.
Original Air Date: 2/2/19
Innovation Nation

Ep 126 | Food Allergy Sensor featuring cabooses

Host Mo Rocca shows us the baker using math to create her artistic pies; the creator of the Jetfoiler Surfboard that rides high above the waves; the handheld device saving lives by detecting peanuts and gluten in foods; and, the importance of the train caboose, bringing up the rear.
Original Air Date: 04/27/19
Innovation Nation

Ep 127 | Folding Bike Helmet featuring plastics

Host Mo Rocca shows us how tragedy inspired a brother to create a new kind of bike helmet; the countertop dishwasher that runs on a gallon of water; the dad and son team who created a computerized power drill; and, the history of plastic and how it changed the world.
Original Air Date: 05/04/19
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Ep 128 | Compact Cars featuring compact cars

Host Mo Rocca shows us the firefighting device that blasts water through walls; the inventors of the car diagnostic module that tells you what needs to be repaired; the inventor of the smart baby bottle that keeps track of an infant’s feeding; and, when cars went from big to compact.
Original Air Date: 5/11/2019
Innovation Nation

Ep 82 | Gloving featuring roads

Host Mo Rocca shows us the new art form of lighting your fingertips; inventing the alien rock grabber; earbuds that translate languages in real time; and, the history of roads connecting the country.
Original Air Date: 10/21/17
Innovation Nation

Ep 88 | Telehealth featuring pony cars

Host Mo Rocca shows us the cargo carrier that follows you; the device that allows doctors to examine you from the other side of the world; a new spin on the old-world butter churn; and, when the car industry moved to muscle cars.
Original Air Date: 1/20/18
Innovation Nation

Ep 93 | Solar Grill featuring the Tucker 48

Host Mo Rocca shows us the fireless grill that cooks using heat from the sun; the sponge that can sop up ocean oil spills; the scuba diving tank you can pump up by hand; and, the innovator whose “car of tomorrow” failed to catch on.
Original Air Date: 2/24/18
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Ep 100 | 100th Episode featuring the Rosa Parks bus

Host Mo Rocca shows us the best of our first 100 shows, including the wolves of Yellowstone; the teen who created an app to help those being bullied in school; the Jetman who flies with wings on his back; and, the story of Rosa Parks and restoring the bus where she made history.
Original Air Date: 04/28/2018
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Ep 62 | Ron Popeil featuring air mail

Host Mo Rocca shows us the TV pitch man and inventor behind dozens of inventions including the Pocket Fisherman; the listening device that can find people buried after an earthquake; measuring your rooms and creating a floorplan of your house with a cellphone; and how air mail changed how we communicated.
Original Air Date: 01/21/2017
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Ep 74 | Air Mail featuring air mail

Host Mo Rocca shows us the movie magic behind animal actors; the computerized farmer for your garden; how collecting water in Africa is less of a pain in the neck; and how air mail changed how we communicated.
Original Air Date: 04/29/2017
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Ep 34 | Baby Tech featuring the Owl Night Lunch Wagon

Host Mo Rocca shows us the highest tech to keep tabs on your toddler; rebuilding the billfold that’s been breaking your backside; the history behind the lunch wagon and mobile food; and the playful polymers making you jump higher while keeping babies’ bottoms drier.
Original Air Date: 11/21/2015
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Ep 48 | Vine King featuring the Vagabonds

Host Mo Rocca shows us the inventor who is soaring to new heights with a jet on his back; Vine’s ‘Six Second Spielberg,’ Zach King; how history’s greatest innovators go camping; and the chemistry making the world more colorful.
Original Air Date: 04/30/2016
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Ep 6 | Aging Software featuring the Dymaxion House

Host Mo Rocca shows software that can accurately age any facial picture to up to 80 years old; a futuristic portable home of the past; emergency tech — how to stay in touch when the power goes out; how actress Hedy Lamarr changed our wireless world.
Original Air Date: 11/01/2014
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Ep 12 | Three Under 20 featuring Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory

Host Mo Rocca shows us incredible innovators under 20 years old; 9-year-old Algae Girl, who is pioneering oil-producing algae by growing it under her bed; how Thomas Edison’s inventions still make us all look like slackers; 16-year-old Hollow Flashlight Girl, who invented a battery-free flashlight; and the 20-year-old from the Netherlands who is skimming the plastics from our oceans.
Original Air Date: 01/31/2015
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Ep 17 | Pocket Printer featuring Thomas Edison's patent models

Host Mo Rocca shows us the hardware store robot; the incredible patent models from Thomas Edison that show us the beginning of our electronic world; how the USG Corp. is leading the way with grooming the next generation of engineers and mathematicians; the Israeli inventors of a printer that fits in your pocket.
Original Air Date: 04/11/2015
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Ep 19 | Inventor of Email featuring historic steam engines

Host Mo Rocca shows us the inventor of a fireproof gel that is helping firefighters save lives; the historic steam engines that are the grandfathers of electricity; a camera that automatically follows you so you’re always in frame; and the man who, at 14 years old, invented the email system we use today.
Original Air Date: 04/25/2015