285. The Invention Process
November 5, 2025 • EPISODE 285
How do you turn a great idea into a success? In this episode of Science LIVE, Dr. Roger Billings takes students through the invention process—from the first spark of inspiration to creating something people truly love. Featuring t-shirt designs by Acellus students, he explores what makes certain ideas stand out and connect. Discover how understanding the invention process can help you bring your own creative ideas to life—and turn them into success stories.
About DrB
Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology.
As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
Read more about DrB »
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »
Hello! Thanks for the Science Live, and I wanted to say my favorite was 10!!!
I loved this episode! Everyone did an amazing job on those shirts!
All the shirts were amazing!
R 51 is funny
I enjoyed learning more about the invention process!
I love Dr.Roger Billings!
There are so many good shirt choices… but I think shirt 10 and 6 are the best!
I loved the Fiji water turning to Ice, I have had a bottle of cold water and shook it and it turned to ice I always wondered why.
#10 is my fav, when will it be in stores??
everyone did a really good job designing the shirts.
I did not know that radio waves travel faster at night that’s so cool.
#10 for sure
I liked #10 the best. Also very interesting that they use static electricity to make photo copies.
t-shirt number 4 was my favorite!!
All the shirts look so cool but my favorite shirt was #10.
Hydrogen trains so cool!
Shirt 6
My favorite is 10 and 8! This episode was great!
I liked shirt 10!
Number 8!
I like number 12
Shirt #10 is so funny!
The #4 t-shirt with R51 is good! Also like #10!
I like how Dr. Billings was real with us and that inventions come from trying, failing, and improving ideas and it made me see that being creative in science takes patience and problem-solving, not just inspiration.
# 3 is my favorite
My fave shirts are def 4,6, 8 and 10, very funny and clever designs!! And of course you gotta love R-51’s thought designs as well lol
Shirt #10 is sweet!
I think shirt 52 is an amazing shirt I’d wear that one
Shirt #4 was my personal favorite.
Watching in from Monita, Virginia
I would buy number 4!
wow did not know radio waves do this.
I like #10! Thanks for the episode!!
Love the science videos, and honestly I love all the shirts.
Riding on a hydrogen train would be pretty awesome. That is something id love to celebrate.
T-shirt 2 was my favorite! I loved all designs though.
These T shirts are all great. I like 10.
I voted for shirt 2 but I also like R51s shirts as well!
I love this
problems can be opportanity for inventions.
#4 was my favorite shirt
I liked number 5
Hello, my name is Jacob. I especially liked the part about the radio station, because it shows how much technology has evolved since. Anyway, thank you for the knowledge.
My favorite is definitely #7, I love the airplane design!
I liked learning about the invention process and how it helps. I can’t wait to learn more next week!
I love Acellus!
#5 was clever
To Dr. Billing’s how did the invention process work for you when you created the first hydrogen-powered car and how would you recommend someone start if they want to make their first invention?
Everyone’s shirts were amazing ! my favorites were 3 and 4.
Shirt #10 was amazing lol
My favorite teacher is Todd Edmond. I love his classes.
Is there a limit to how far radio waves can travel?
It’s amazing how many uses hydrogen has!!!
I love shirt #10!
That is a funny story about the radio.
i love #4 shirt!
I really like the number 6 shirt
This is my T-shirt design, I hope everyone likes it!
Oh my goodness! That looks fantastic!
problems can be opportunity for inventions.
I really like #1 because it”s cool and pretty
I am super excited to one day graduate.. science is my favorite subject
Wow, this episode was great! I personally like shirt 10, looks the best to me (tough competition though). Loved learning about Dr.Billings’s process! Thank you very much for recording this! Thank You!
Mr. Rogers is the best!
I love these Science Lives, it’s wonderfully educational!
I liked number 6# and number 7#.
My favorite had to be 10!
#6 is my favorite shirt
I loved all of the shirts, but #5 was my favorite!
I like shirt 4! I enjoyed watching this!
I really liked today’s Science Live.
What’s one way to stay motivated when your idea doesn’t work out the first time?
shirt #4 or #10
To start, I enjoyed learning about better ways to defrost plane wings. Due to temperature decreases as you go higher, aircrafts develop ice that creates issues. In the past, we used wing boots, which are a rubber casing that fills with air to break ice, or weeping wings, which have holes that spew out thawing liquid. However, with recent desires to make aircrafts run on heat instead of an electrical engine, scientists in Germany have come up with an alternative solution. By using resonating frequencies, you can make the wings vibrate the ice off.
I also liked learning about the creation of the printer. Chester Carlson worked at a patent office in New York, having the job of copying papers by hand. Over time, he developed arthritis due to the amount he was writing and vowed to find a better way. He ultimately learned about photoconductivity and static electricity, combining the two concepts. Eventually, after experimenting, he came up with a basic printer.
Finally, I also liked hearing about the T-shirts. Everyone was super creative with their designs, and it’s a shame only twelve were picked to be voted on. On that note, my favorite was number ten, with Sam-51 demanding that he wants you to invent something. Other than that, though, I really liked four as well, which referenced a previous episode of Science Live with R-51 and his confusion with how fireflies worked, thinking they were lemons.
I love number 10!
My favorite shirt was #6.
r-51 did it!!!
Another great video. My personal favorite t-shirt is number 10
This is my shirt design!
This science live was amazing!!!!!!
I like your radio voice Mr. Billings
Number 10 was definitely my favorite by far.
#10 was the best!
#6 was also my favorite
Sir Issac Newton invented the 3 laws of motion.
This helped me understand so much more then I would have thought.
I liked shirt #2
I think that the inventions people made over the years are amazing.
I love science live every week!
Great episode Mr. Billings!
I love shirt number 51!!! would definetly buy!
science live is awsome
I love SCIENCE LIVE!!! : )
I really liked this weeks science live! I especially enjoyed Dr. John’s technology discussion on super cool water. I’ve seen super cool water before, but I’ve never heard of “super cooled clouds,” and the concept of what happens to water happening to an airplane is crazy! So cool to learn about.
I really love t-shirt #3!
#1
I love science so much! I love the idea of inventing things and the study of creatures, items, and how things work. I’m very grateful for these videos.
How long did it take to complete the Acellus program
Hydrogen is so cool. i like #2
Really interested in the Hydrogen train. Would love to ride on one. Trains are great!
T-shirt #12 was my favorite!!
My favorite shirt was #9, which said, “undergoing a science live reaction. Powered by curiosity, fueled by science live”.
So cool Rodger Billings has helped me learn so much Acellus 4life
This episode was definitely one of my favorites. I love hydrogen!
I’m glad to see that Acellus is helping others as much as it helps me.
I love this i aspire to be like Rodger Billings.😇
I do not know if it is too late but here is my shirt. 🙂
#10 was the best!
I find it really fascinating learning how Chester Carlson created the printer and what all went into making it.
Cool this is amazing Rodger Billings is so smart I wish I was this smart!!!
Shirt 1 and 3 are my favorite!
I think shirt 10 is just amazing my vote goes to 10!
I thought shirt number 6 was very funny. I’m curious if the science behind how copiers work is similar in any way to how computers and images are generated.
I enjoyed learning about the invention process
There are so many extraordinary inventors here! #5 and 10# were definitely my favorites!
When I grow up I want to invent something like you Mr. Rodger Billings!
thanks dr billings
I think shirt number 10 is the best.
I loved this episode, along with all the fun shirts I liked them all!
A hydrogen train is such a good idea! I can’t wait to ride it!
here is my shirt.
I love Acellus.
It’s my favorite time again! Science Live!!
Shirt #11 is by far my favorite
That’s cool how there are people who’s job is to keep airplane wings from freezing. Thats something ive never thought about…ice forming on an airplane while its it the air. That can be scary if it stopped the pilot from steering. That could be very dangerous. Thank goodness for scientists that fix these kind of problems.
#10 is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I enjoyed this science live. Have a great day!
Dr. B, have you made any new inventions for the hydrogen homestead?
I think the ice bottle trick was super cool.
I liked the part about how they are able to make the wings of the plane vibrate. I never thought of that.
That is really interesting about the static electicity and the photocopier. I had no idea that was how it worked.
My favorite shirt was 8.
I liked #6
I think #6 is hilarious
That was awesome when the liquid turned solid!
My favorite t-shirt was #10!
(My favorite shirt was the r-51 did it.)
The train in California sounds neat. The girl using Acellus to help her dreams come true was inspiring. I love the number 11 shirt, but all were great.
I love all the shirts but #3 is my favorite
I found it interesting how Dr. Billings explained how to begin an invention. What are some of the steps for turning an idea into a prototype?
Number 10 was for sure the best!
Love this!
I also really liked this episode!
I would love to ride on a hydrogen train!
I really want to own my own business when I get older.
The shirts were amazing! I loved it!😍🤩
this was a really good science live
It is so incredible to see how trial and error can effect the way inventions turn out in the end!
Number 10!!!
Enthused about a hydrogen train coming to America, it will be an environmentally friendly alternative.
Shirt 10 is my favorite. The hydrogen joke was so funny. I wonder if the hydrogen trains will come to DC next.
Inventing something myself one day would be awesome.
I love science live!!!
I love watching these science lives
I love science live
I loved this episode. I always enjoy sitting with my mom to watch Science Live.
I loved the shirts! 10 was my favorite.
We love to hear from Acellus Students, it’s always so inspiring!
I like number 4! Be the sun!
I’m excited to see the winning shirts. But i really hope R-51’s shirt is for purchase. These video’s are fun.
I really liked seeing all the tshirts. #10 is my favorite
Have you ever thought of an invention that didn’t work at first but turned into something better?
Science has evolved soo much that there appears to be less to invent but the more people invent the more stuff you can make after that invention.
Thank you for the science live!
Hydrogen trains look cool!
shirt number 10 was my favorite!
do the vibrations cause any turbulence?
The explanation of how a copier works was really good!
Me and My Mom love watching together great live!
This show is very entertaining.
I like this show
Hi, I loved the 10th t-shirt I would for sure by that one and also liked R 51 #52 shirt was as funny as the number 10th shirt. Kickle pickle is a very hilarious name. Thank you for the science live.
I love #4!
I love learning science.
A hydrogen train would be cool to ride.
I love number 10!
I’m so happy to hear that hydrogen is being used as an energy source in more and more thing each day
WOW! A Hydrogen powered train! that’s so cool!