5 Times Elon Musk Created World-Changing Inventions: SpaceX, Paypal, And More

By Christine Andas January 20, 2021

You'd be surprised to find that Elon Musk has created innovative inventions, from online financial services to brain chips that can cure diseases.

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Years ago, people saw 2021 as the year of flying cars. Although we haven't exactly replicated this prediction, it seems we're not that far either. As we begin a new decade, we should celebrate all the inventions we've had in the past years that is bringing us closer to a future of advanced technology.

One person in particular who consistently reimagines human living conditions all for the sake of improving it is self-made billionaire Elon Musk. In an interview with Joe Rogan, Elon specifically said that his inventions are made either to solve a problem or just for the fun of it. And he's done quite a lot.

Here are five times Elon Musk has made inventions that will continue to lead us to innovation:

Tesla Cars

This coveted electric car has been in the market for a while. Since then, Elon has added a few more features. All the drivers need to do is update their car and they can enjoy useful features included on the expansive screen such as a sketchpad for your kids and a dog mode or bunny mode for when you have to leave your furbabies in the car when you're running an errand. And soon, Elon is giving Tesla drivers a chance to customise the sound of their horns!

PayPal

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PayPal, originally X.com co-founded by Elon, is now one of the leading online financial services across the world. In the late 90s, Elon and his brother started X.com, an online financial service. After a year, they merged with Confinity which included a money-transfer service called Paypal—and the rest was history.

SpaceX

Have you ever wondered about Mars? Elon has—quite a lot. He has a goal and that's to make humanity multi-planetary. His fascination for life beyond our planet just might pay off soon considering SpaceX has had successful missions. SpaceX is a private company that reduces the costs of space access by using a reusable rocket. It's also the first to bring humans to the International Space Station.

You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great - and that’s what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It’s about believing in the future and thinking that the future will be better than the past. And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars.

Neuralink

Photo: Steve Jurvetson / Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk has ignited an innovative way to implant interfaces in the brain to help with neurological conditions. This means Alzheimer's, spinal injuries, depression, insomnia, hearing loss and more can be cured by a computer chip.

Underground Tunnels And Hyperloop

In 2017, Elon tweeted his frustrations about the LA traffic. Eventually, this led him to create underground tunnels as a solution. In 2018, Elon and his new company called The Boring Company made an underground tunnel that allows electric cars to pass through, reducing travel time. In a tweet, he explained that these tunnels can conveniently get you from anywhere near your house to your destination's parking lot.

The Hyperloop can lessen your travel time. Elon first brought up the concept in 2012. Then the promising Hyperloop Alpha concept was proposed in 2013 which showed how anyone can travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco for only 35 minutes at a speed of 760mph.