Medtronic was founded in 1949 by Earl E. Bakken and the late Palmer J. Hermundslie. Since developing the first wearable external cardiac pacemaker in 1957 and manufacturing the first reliable long-term implantable pacing system in 1960, Medtronic has been the world’s leading producer of pacing technology. Today, Medtronic is the world’s leading medical technology company, providing lifelong solutions for people with chronic disease. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, their operations are primarily focused on providing therapeutic, diagnostic, and monitoring systems for cardiovascular, neurological, diabetes, spinal, and ear, nose and throat markets. Medtronic opened manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico by the end of the 1970s and recently their operations in Villalba have been expanded. As many other companies in Puerto Rico, the office of safety and security from Medtronic in Villalba celebrated their annual environmental fair during June 25, 2008. This year they got interested in renewal energy and invited Fernando Gilbes for a lecture in this topic. During that day he talked about diverse ways of generating energy with water, a revised version of the same lecture he has been offering in different places.
