Who invented the 'cat's eye' road safety device in 1934?
Cat's eye (road) inventor of cat's eyes was Percy Shaw of Boothtown, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. When the tram-lines were removed in the nearby suburb of Ambler Thorn, he realised that he had been using the polished strips of steel to navigate at night. The name "cat's eye" comes from Shaw's inspiration for the device: the eyeshine reflecting from the eyes of a cat. In 1934, he patented his invention (patents Nos. 436,290 and 457,536), and on 15 March 1935, founded Reflecting Roadstuds Limited in Halifax to manufacture the items. The name "Catseye" is their trademark. The reflective lens had been invented six
Cat's eye (road) Cat's eye (road) A cat's eye is a retroreflective safety device used in road marking and was the first of a range of raised pavement markers. The cat's eye design originated in the UK in 1934 and is today used all over the world. The original form consisted of two pairs of reflective glass spheres set into a white rubber dome, mounted in a cast-iron housing. This is the kind that marks the centre of the road, with one pair of cat's eyes showing in each direction. A single-ended form has become widely used in other colours at road margins