We often take much for granted what other people have achieved on our behalf. The roads we travel on, and the schools where we send our kids, for example. Perhaps next time we use them we should salute the minds that designed them, and the hands that built them. Today we acknowledge the humble pocket calculator and the unknown genius behind the idea.
The 1970’s – Origin of the Humble Pocket Calculator
Let’s wind the clock back to the birth of solid state electronics and semiconductor devices. These had no physical switches and wires and were hence far more compact. The first solid state electronic calculator appeared in the early 1960s. This was after Busicom invented the first microprocessor, the Intel 4004.
However, these were bulky desktop devices requiring grid energy. By the 1970’s, the technology scaled down to a few microchips taking power from rechargeable batteries. Their portable electricity enabled the Sanyo ICC-0081 Mini Calculator, the Canon Pocketronic, and the Sharp QT-8B Micro Compet. A generation of school kids put their log books and slide rules away.
Were Pocket Calculators the First Portable Digital Devices?
It’s feasible that the Sharp EL-8 was the first portable, battery-powered, solid state consumer device that went viral. Remember, we had no personal computers then. The Sharp EL-8 must have seemed a miracle, although it weighed 1.59 pounds and cost $395.
From then on, development of the humble pocket calculator followed rapidly. It was not long before these were programmable using emerging artificial intelligence. Remarkably, the humble pocket calculator survived even though our phones, laptops, and desktops have the same functionality. Could this perhaps be because they slip into our pockets, and don’t take time to load up?
Moreover their batteries seem to last forever on rechargeable solar power that even works in the classroom. The answer is ergonomics, an applied science arranging things so people and things interact most efficiently and safely. And the humble pocket calculator ticks all the boxes.
Related:
John Goodenough’s Solid State Battery Breakthrough
Solar Power Calculators versus Battery Power
Preview Image: Solid State Integrated Circuit
