I'm interested in special purpose machines - it's amazing how creative people can be in solving special problems - this particular machine
I don't know, I find it really really clever - first, to decide that tapping on the amalgam was a good thing, second to design this thing with a column of air so there is no risk of electrical shock, and then getting all the forces in balance so it actually works, taps on the amalgam without smashing it through the tooth, and so on. I have a number of patents to my name, but I think this one is just plain clever - not necessarily "brilliant" (the geosynch satellite was brilliant) but very clever.