How to Invent
November 19, 2025 • EPISODE 287
How do great inventions begin? In this episode of Science LIVE, Dr. Roger Billings breaks down the process of inventing—showing how curiosity, creativity, and simple problem-solving can grow into real innovations. Using Morse code as an example, he explains how messages are sent and demonstrates it with a telegraph key. A fun, practical look at how anyone can start turning ideas into inventions.
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 »
science live is one of the best things
I LOVE SCIENCE
Love Science Live
This is inspiring me to invent something!
Tuning in from Florida!
I would love a pilot class
Hello Mr. Tobias and everyone else, Mr. Tobias what were some of the the hardest obstacles Ray Tomlinson faced while creating email?
I’ve never seen an AI robot fall like a human before, even using its arms to protect its head. I also thought the pose that one of the robots did where it look liked it was sleeping was really cute and funny.
Hello from California ! Mrs.Paje monte (Sorry I keep on forgetting how to spell your name ) You made my life easier with your course I now can be more better person thank you so much for everything!
I love science 🔭🧪 and R 51 is so funny 🤣🤣🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤣🤣🤣 I love this schooling thing 😊😊☺️😺😁😁😊☺️😺
Good Evening from New York, hope your doing well Dr. Billings
I’ve never thought about where the @ symbol came from before, that’s really interesting!
Hey from Humboldt county Dr.B, last episode was funny with r51.
hello I’m from Colombia. When you will do a hydrogen apartment
its a trial and error that leads to something amazing happening.
Mr Rogger billings will your next project be a hygrogen hybrid racecar
How does hydrogen become water that is drinkable?
Hi from Wilson Nc, What are scientists planning to do with the little robot next?
Simulations are fascinating, especially when they’re used to improve something that moves. I also think the creation of email is interesting too, as it has changed the world.
Do you think you could do a Science Live episode about engineering and the different types of it?
Love from Massachusetts.
Am READY TO LEARN 😀 !!!
Th@ w@s re@lly cool Tobi@s
,
I’m so glad Acellus is available, because I wasn’t doing well in public school, so my mom tried homeschooling with Acellus and now I’m going to graduate next year at eighteen! 🎓
He was just 18 years old when he successfully converted an old model truck into hydrogen power
The Wright brothers are from Ohio a couple minutes from where I live
hi from ohio
How many steps does it take to invent something
Dr. Roger Billings is seriously my biggest inspiration. I admire his ability to invent anything he thinks of and how much he motivates me to try to invent something! I’m sure I can speak for almost everyone when I say, Roger Billings is the father of empowering and motivating others to be successful.
I love science and I love him.
Excactly!!!! I DEFINETLY agree with you!!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
where can you get the motivation to start your invention?
it’s cool that just an idea can turn into something people use everyday.
So proud to be a part of your school! Thank you!
hey from nc! loving this live!
Hi from georgia!!
Howdy from Tennessee!
hi from. Tampa
Hello from Tallahassee Florida
Hi New York State here.
Acellus is the best school ever
What was the very first thing that Mr. Billings invented?
Hello from Maryland!!
Hi from Alabama
LOVE ACELLUS!!
I love scienceeee!
hiii very excited to listenn
That was something new that we did not know about the @ symbol. It’s so cool to learn something new every time I watch Science Live.
I wonder were we’d be today without emails
Hello from Massachusetts!
Hey, I was wondering, do you have any updates on the potential radio class from last time? I havn’t been able to get it off of my mind.
Another example for the @ sign is in between sports teams such as Kansas City Chiefs @ Washington Redskins.
Great Job Tobias, I LOVED this segment too!!! I usally ALWAYS love your Segment!!!! I ALWAYS LOVE SCIENCE L!VE!!!! 😀
favorite time of the day right here, anyone else?
I had no idea the “@” was used for something different back then. I like learning the history behind things like this.
Hi! from Tennessee, I love this!
Hi from Texas! I love this too!
Hey from NJ
From lllinois and this is so intersseting
Another amazing Science live as always!
Dr Roger Billings is very cool
Hello Dr. Roger Billings!!
thanks for the video this week
Hi from NC.
SCIENCE LIVE IS THE BEST
Hello from Tennessee
hi science live from Okinawa Japan
Hi from Kansas City!
3 billion emails every day is crazy
I am fascinated with learning the origin of the email.
Wow! I never knew that many emails are sent a daily
Tobias is my favorite teacher. He is soo cool.
This live is so interesting, especially the robot and how it can be programmed to fall seemingly to protect it’s head like humans tend to do; I didn’t know they were that advanced.
The demonstration on robots and all their different and very vital parts was very entertaining. Dr. Tobias and Dr. John should teach a collaborative course!!
Thank you Tobias, very informative.
I love science live
I can’t believe that so many emails are sent every day. Wow!
Science live is interesting
Learning how email was invented is so interesting! Amazing Live!
FSD sounds really cool.
Hi from Florida. Super cool to learn about how email came about. Love wednesdays!
Does anyone know what the first e-mail said?
I wonder what life would be like now if we still had to send things through letters.
WOW! That’s a lot of emails.
Hi from Brazil! I love this!
I loved the @ symbol the guy was holding in the picture! It made me laugh a little, I love that.
Hello from California! Always learn something new, thank you guys!
That’s amzing how that symbol was made! @@@
Yay for Email@!
Hi from utah thats very cool!!!!
I love Utah, you are lucky.
hello from VietNam!
Hii! Here from Missouri ready to learn about todays topics.
Hi from SC! 🙂
I didn’t know that the @ might’ve been an ! mark.
Its pretty cool that times have changed so much!
It’s really cool to learn how email and email addresses came to be what they are today.
I love watching Science Live
Learning about how the history of things we use everyday is always amazing especially, when I get to share the knowledge.
I think that the history part of Science Live is very fascinating.
From Texas Hello!
Something I would like to invent that doesn’t exist yet is a futuristic bed for people with carpal tunnel, arthritis back pains this bed will probably be more made for women because my grandma has carpal tunnel arthritis and dislocated discs in her back and I want to invent something to help her. The bed I want to invent will have the technology that when the woman sleeps on it the bed will be soft but firm. I don’t completely know how Im going to do it yet but I’ll try.
This was interesting, I enjoyed it! Lol the robot falling
from New York, I enjoyed this one
I like todays topic discussion!
Hello from Pennsylavia! <3
Hello from Kentucky
Science is my favorite class! I am not allowed to have an email yet but can’t wait to have one. My mom spends so much time deleting junk mail every single day and doesn’t like it. We always laugh about it.
Hello from Iowa!!
Can’t wait for R-51!!!! Howdy from GA!
Hello Kaitlyn from Florida ! Love the show.
Hello, from Arizona
Hi from Vietnam!
Awesome topic tonight. It’s nice to know more about email
Its genuinely mind blowing to know how the entire messaging and emailing process began like bless ray for his amazing work!
my mom always talking about email from her work
Salutations from Louisana.
I love reading Shakespeare-from texas
To me it looks like a A in a circle
Why the @ symbol is called “at”.
I thought the @ was originally from email that’s weird it came from italy
Networking has came a long way since then.
Does the @ symbol get used in any coding too?
The computer looks kinda like a typewriter lol. 💻
Hello from Diberville Mississippi
From Utah i love this!!
Using @ for emails was one of the most genius ideas.
It is amazing how Disney got the robots to fall in style.
Hi! from texas
I just got my first email and that is interesting how it all started
Hello from virginia
Hey from DE. Stoked for tonight’s Science Live.
hello from florida
I always love these !! 😀
hello from houston , its interesting to see the origin of the @ symbol
I love science live and science is my favorite subject for school also. From New York
Hello from VA.
Hi I’m in Texas right now but I’m from Mississippi
Hello from Massachusetts! Were there any forms of early online communication before the email, or was the email the start of it all?
Saying good evening from Oregon
Hello again from South Carolina, Dr. Billings have you done any projects in any other countries?
Science live is cool and interesting
Hello there from TN 🙂 can’t wait to see what we’re talking about tonight!
Oh wow! That’s interesting.
I love the show and always look forward to it
How long did it take for emails/text messages to become mainstream and used by everyone?
Could we build a robot that can go to space and transmit messages/images as it drifts around Earth or the galaxy or use it to put out signals to communicate with other life out their.
I really enjoyed this episode of live science!
I’m fascinated by how people were learning about technology in the 1960s, especially when they first discovered and learned how they’re able to send messages to other people. This is a really great live! 🙂
Hello, from Illinois! This was a wonderful Science live. Looking forward for the next one!
What we today have is once the impossible dream of someone, who thought unreal. That’s why we should always appreciate impossible thoughts.
Hello from Virginia. The robots falling in style was cool!
I love science live, I always enjoy learning about inventions that have shaped our future.
Thank you for always finding new ways to educate us!
Robots are so cool.😎😎😎😎
Technically, the concept of email is kind of the same as a fax machine if you really think about it.
HaHa.. ” The email probably said garbage.” I like how science live covers so many different topics.
Hello from NC .
Good evening, I’m Jermaine from Georgia! The more I watch these Science Live videos, the more interested I’m becoming in science.
Learning about the origin of email is cool.
Here for today’s live!
Super interesting topic today. Nice to watch as always.
I’m in South Carolina hello
I’m so excited for the live tonight! I look forward to it every week!
hi from texas
Im Sabrena and Im from Missouri and I love to watch science live it is an amazing opportunity to learn and have have a surpassing scholarship to be able to do home school for an easier amount of money
I also love science live!
Hi from dowagiac Michigan.
I thought hearing about the first email was interesting. I Love Science Live
hello from new york
I didn’t know emails were that old!
HI from Mississippi!!!
Email was such a great invention!! Great for communication1
Hello from Texas!
That’s cool I didn’t know that about sending messages!
Hi from Texas
Hello from SC!
Science is so cool!
The info about the first email sent is fascinating!
Hello from Kansas!
Hello from NC
Hello, from Florida
Hi from IL I’m a farmer
I really like break through moments with Tobias!! !
Hello from Virginia, can’t wait to see what happens on science live tonight!
Hi, from MS.