J. Mike O'Dwyer
{{Short description|Australian inventor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
James Michael O'Dwyer is an inventor who grew up in Muttaburra, Queensland, Australia, chiefly known for his Metal Storm weapon.
Biography
O'Dwyer completed grade 12 education, then went on to be a manager at Woolworths Limited{{cite web | url = http://www.sd.qld.gov.au/dsdweb/v3/guis/templates/content/gui_cue_cntnhtml.cfm?id=5275 | title = Case Studies: Metal Storm Ltd | date = 28 September 2005 | work = Department of State Development, Government of Queensland | accessdate = 2007-02-16 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070704103019/http://www.sd.qld.gov.au/dsdweb/v3/guis/templates/content/gui_cue_cntnhtml.cfm?id=5275 | archive-date = 4 July 2007 | url-status = dead }} before his inventions were able to provide an income.
An American company Breeze Technology Holdings has the rights to one of his inventions - air-cooled sneakers.{{cite web | url = http://www.businessplans.org/Breeze/breeze01.html | title = Breeze Technology, Inc. : Business Plan | accessdate = 2007-02-16 }}{{US patent|5860225|US Patent 5860225 : Self-ventilating footwear}}
Metal Storm
{{Main|Metal Storm}}
O'Dwyer spent 15 years developing a rapid-fire gun prototype called Metal Storm that uses stacked projectiles. Metal Storm can fire up to 1,000,000 rounds per minute, or 16,000 rounds per second, and was declared by Guinness Book of Records to be the world's most intelligent and fastest firearms.{{cite news | url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/26/1079939827815.html | title = Lethal weapon | work = The Age | author = Jordan Baker
| date = 26 March 2004 | accessdate = 2007-02-16 }}
The technology was being commercialised by a company also called Metal Storm, but they requested their shares be suspended from trading on 20 July 2012 and later was placed in voluntary administration.{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/breaking-news/metal-storm-in-voluntary-administration/story-e6frg90f-1226435684028 |title=Metal Storm up for sale |agency= AAP |work=The Australian | date=26 July 2012 |accessdate=2012-07-27 |author=Staff}}
In late 2015 DefendTex, an Australian-based defence R&D company acquired the intellectual property, trademarks and other assets of Metal Storm.[http://www.defendtex.com/press-releases-1.html Defendtex Acquires MetalStorm Assets] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116115321/http://www.defendtex.com/press-releases-1.html |date=16 January 2016 }} Defendtex (Press Release) 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2016-01-02
References
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External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20001027041927/http://www.abc.net.au/austory/transcripts/s167329.htm Transcript of interview with Mike O'Dwyer and others in 2000] (ABC)
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080915171208/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20497679-2702,00.html Mike appeared on Nine Network's Sunday program]
- [http://www.smh.com.au/business/crunch-time-at-metal-storm-20091202-k6bk.html SMH]
- [http://www.abc.net.au/austory/AustoryArchives2000Idx_Thursday31August2000.html ABC], 31 August 2000
{{DEFAULTSORT:ODwyer, J. Mike}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)