Based on these concepts in 1679 Boyle's associate, Denis Papin, built a bone digester, which is a closed vessel with a tightly fitting lid that confines steam until a high pressure is generated. Later designs implemented a steam release valve to keep the machine from exploding. By watching the valve rhythmically moving up and down, Papin conceived the idea of a piston and cylinder engine. He did not, however, follow through with his design. In 1697, independent of Papin's designs, engineer Thomas Savery built the world's first steam engine. By 1712 an improved design based on Papin's ideas was developed by Thomas Newcomen.