James C. Bliss
James C. Bliss | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 21, 1933 Fort Worth, Texas,U.S. |
| Died | January 24, 2012(aged 78) |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University Stanford University Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Employer(s) | SRI International Telesensory Systems |
| Awards | Migel Medal Award of theAmerican Foundation for the Blind |
James C. Bliss(October 21, 1933 – January 24, 2012) was an Americanelectrical engineerand entrepreneur best known for his pioneering role in developingtechnological aidsforvisually impairedpeople.
Education and technical research
[edit]Born inFort Worth, Texas,Jim Bliss grew up inOklahoma CityandChicago.He received his B.S.E.E. degree fromNorthwestern Universityin 1956 and began working atStanford Research Institute(SRI) inMenlo Park, California,while enrolled in graduate school atStanford University.He received his M.S.E.E. from Stanford (1958) and his Ph.D. fromMassachusetts Institute of Technology(1961).[1]He returned to SRI where he became head of the Bio-Information Systems Group. He continued his dissertation work in tactile communication and also lectured in EE at Stanford, where he metJohn Linvill,who had conceived a machine that would allow his blind daughter, Candy, to read ordinary print by translating the letter images into vibrations. In 1962 Bliss and Linvill began a multi-year development effort at Stanford and SRI culminating in a successful prototype called the "Optacon"in 1969.[2]
Business development
[edit]To commercialize the Optacon, Bliss and Linvill foundedTelesensory Systems, Inc.in 1970.[3]Bliss left his position of associate professor at Stanford and became president of TSI, which position he held from the company's beginning until 1992. Under his leadership the company developed, manufactured, and sold many innovative electronics communications products for blind and visually impaired people. In 1994 he founded JBliss Imaging Systems,[4]which provided easy-to-use equipment for scanning and reading aloud printed materials.
Jim Bliss retired in 2005; he died ofmultiple myelomaon January 24, 2012.[5]
Publications and awards
[edit]James C. Bliss published more than a dozen technical papers.[6]In 2007 he received the Migel Medal Award of theAmerican Foundation for the Blind.[7]
References
[edit]- ^Bliss, James C. (June 1966). "Contributors".IEEE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics(2): 107–108.doi:10.1109/THFE.1966.232331.
- ^J.G. Linvill and J.C. Bliss (1966). "A Direct Translation Reading Aid for the Blind".Proceedings of the IEEE.54(1). IEEE Press: 40–51.doi:10.1109/PROC.1966.4572.
- ^"Assistive Technology Timeline".American Foundation for the Blind. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-05-25.Retrieved2009-01-25.
- ^"JBliss Imaging systems".Archived fromthe originalon 16 June 2009.Retrieved12 June2010.
- ^"obituary".San Jose Mercury News.January 27, 2012.Retrieved27 January2012.
- ^James C. Bliss Publications
- ^2007 Migel Medal Awardees
Further reading
[edit]- Bliss, James C. (Spring 1996)."On The Road to Success with RLE's Alumni Company Founders"(PDF).Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT. pp. 16–17.Retrieved12 June2010.