Velcro
De Mestral gave the name "Velcro", a portmanteau of the French words "velour" ("velvet") and "crochet" ("hook"), to his invention as well as his company, which continues to manufacture and market the fastening system.
Vacuum extraction
In 1849 the Edinburgh professor of obstetrics James Young Simpson, subsequently known for pioneering the use of chloroform in childbirth, designed the Air Tractor which consisted of a metal syringe attached to a soft rubber cup. This was the earliest known vacuum extractor to assist childbirth but it did not become popular. Swedish professor Tage Malmstrom developed the ventouse, or Malmstrom extractor in the 1950s. Originally made with a metal cap, new materials such as plastics and siliconised rubber have improved the design so that it is now used more than forceps.