John VILARDI: Inventor of Follow Me Light Leash & 2 Dog Rope Leash with Lights

Tell us something about yourself, your background:

My name is John Vilardi I am 63 years old and live in Leesburg Florida. I am an inventor and a 3D graphics artist.

Tell us about the products you invented with a brief explanation

The Follow Me Light Leash is one of my products that I am enormously proud of – along with a 2 Dog Rope Leash with Lights (Rechargeable) and many more. They all started with just a 3D rendering and a Sell Sheet. That is powerful!

How I got started:

Thanks to my father I have always had a strong interest in inventing. I loved to watch and work with him as a child. He was never afraid to tackle any size project. Thanks to him I was surprisingly good at working with different materials, I really liked to draw but I wanted to expand my computer skills so in 2001 I decided to take a course in Graphics Communication, 3D Modeling, Photoshop, and Web Design. I totally fell in love with 3D modeling — the perfect tool for inventing. So, my journey began.

3D modeling is basically creating a 3-dimensional object (in this case an invention) on a computer using 3D software. Then creating a 3D rendering or picture of that model. What is so great about it is you do not need to have a physical product to show your client. Creating a sell sheet with a 3D rendering is a powerful tool to show a client your idea without having to spend a lot of money on an actual physical prototype. I feel you should spend the least amount of money as possible because you get a lot more no’s than yesses in this business. A sell sheet and a 3D render can go a long way and it will keep the cost down. If you find a company that is interested, you can then take it to the next step – an actual working prototype and so on.

When I first started Inventing:

In 2008 I joined an inventor’s club online called Edison Nation and that is where it all started to come together. I realized most people cannot draw. My expertise in mechanics, 3D modeling and interpreting people’s ideas made it possible to take their idea and bring it life. It was great. I was able to invent and help inventors at the same time.

Working with inventors has pushed me even harder to create things myself. Helping them expand on their ideas and figuring out the mechanics has helped me to hone my skills as an inventor.