Overview

Commercial research labs have given us the inventions that have changed our lives, including transistors, microchips, nylon, floppy disks, and the laser. At the same time, they've provided fractals, evidence for the Big Bang theory, and detailed pictures of atoms and molecules. Funding for these labs emerged from competition for new markets and prestige. Ultimately, research labs became an integrated part of the modern system of industrial production. Their findings are the engines of a new technology-driven economy.

Background

During the twentieth century, Bell Labs (formerly part of AT&T, now part of Lucent Technologies, Inc.) became the model for the modern commercial research lab. Incorporated in 1925 as Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc., Bell Labs has patents for lasers, light-emitting diodes, and solar cells to its credit. Its scientists have been awarded four Nobel...