A conversation earlier reminded me about Troy Hubertise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Hurtubise
You may recall him as the guy who tried (and to an extent, succeeded) to build a bear-proof suit. Like many other inventors, there seems to be a healthy dose of crackpot about the guy, but some of his work appears to have serious potential. Firepaste, in particular would surely make anyone quite wealthy so why he hasn't pushed further development there is anyone's guess. I'm betting a key component was asbestos.
Angel Light was another thing he came out with and what that is apparently capable of over the years has changed dramatically from curing cancer to ultimate sci-fi X ray machine.
Crazy person? Likely. That said, i'd be interested to see some of his inventions tested independently. I'll add other similar folk as I remember them, feel free to join in.
This guy truly represents the things that dreams are made of.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/06/project-grizzly-guy-forced-to-auction-trojan-halo-suit/ (http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/06/project-grizzly-guy-forced-to-auction-trojan-halo-suit/)
Maybe some would see the auction as an open door to further potential but I wonder if the inventors whose invested works recover from the shift in handling.