Idea man: 270 patents
Mark Kroll is running out of time.
The man who is already Minnesota’s most prolific inventor wants to keep pumping out patents before the Grim Reaper ultimately arrives at the door.
“You got things in your brain, and if you die with them left in there, it’s a waste,” said the 55-year-old inventor, a tall, boyish-looking man who often takes several seconds to ponder a question before answering. “I want to get out what little I have left in my brain before I expire.”
Kroll has already gotten plenty out of his brain. He holds more than 270 patents, tops in Minnesota and second in the world for medical devices. Some of his work has led to impressive breakthroughs in cardiovascular technology.
Kroll, a former top executive at St. Jude Medical Inc. who specializes in electric physiology, developed ways to shrink implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). Such devices, now also sold by major companies including Medtronic, Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson, shock an errantly beating heart back into rhythm.
Other ideas are less profound: A life vest that allows tanning. A phone for pets. But Kroll’s brain keeps turning and so do the patents.
Photo by Glen Stubbe.
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