Trevor Baylis believed that the key to success was to think unconventional thoughts.
It was this mindset that saw him develop his clockwork radio after hearing about the problems of educating African people about HIV and Aids.
It enabled those in remote areas without electricity, or access to batteries, to get the information that could save their lives.
But despite the success of this, and other inventions, Baylis never made a great deal of money from his many ideas.
Trevor Graham Baylis was born in Kilburn, north-west London, on 13 May 1937 and brought up in Southall, Middlesex.
His father was an engineer and the young Trevor was introduced to a Meccano building set which inspired his fascination with mechanical things.