Antonín Svoboda
Encyclopedia
Antonin Svoboda was a Czech
computer scientist
, mathematician
, electrical engineer, and researcher. He is credited with originating the design of fault-tolerant computer systems
, and with the creation of SAPO
, the first Czech computer design.
in 1907. Attending a series of schools, he studied at the College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of Czech Technical University in Prague
(CTU), from where he graduated in 1931. In that same year, he traveled to England
briefly to study physics
, but returned to Czechoslovakia to conduct research and study under V. Dolejska, who made very significant discoveries in X-ray
spectrography.
-related aspects, but the rapidly rising specter of what was occurring in Germany
, set against the backdrop of the economic collapse
during his time, made pure science difficult to pursue. Even so, Svoboda took up positions at the CTU, including becoming an assistant professor of electrical engineering. He eventually gained his Ph.D in 1935, working on the concepts of mathematical models in the use and transmission of electricity
and current
.
based on its direction and speed and adjusting the aim accordingly so that flak would hit. He worked on this project until the fall of Czechoslovakia in 1939.
At that time, alarmed that their research would fall into the hands of Nazi scientists, Svoboda and his research team fled to France
, hoping to find a sympathetic ear and a place to work to fight the Germans however they could. Unfortunately, by the time Svoboda had gotten settled in, Germany's Wehrmacht
had started the blitzkrieg, bypassing the Maginot Line
and directly threatening Paris
where he was working. During this time, Svoboda began work on what would eventually become his computer in later years, but his designs and drawings were all he had. Unwilling to leave such treasures to the Germans, he took them with him, but buried them in construcion of his bicycle..
units. Just before France fell his wife had completed her pregnancy, bearing twin sons. During the flight, one of the babies was killed, and there was a great deal of harassment as they fled.
They managed to arrive in Marseilles, where they attempted first to get out of France to Casablanca
, and when that failed, managed to get to Lisbon
. Unfortunately, the ship's captain had no room for much cargo—with over two million refugees in Lisbon, space was at a premium. Sadly, Dr. Svoboda had to throw his bicycle in which were hidden plans of anti-aircraft sight. They should be hidden not to fall in naci's hands.
after almost a year of trials and tribulations. Svoboda participated in experiments in the Radiation Laboratory
at MIT in Boston, and worked to develop a new auto-aiming targeting scope for warship anti-aircraft cannons. This was eventually developed fully as the Mark 56 Gun Fire Control System, which was mounted in the final stages of the war and was very effective in reducing the amount of damage by kamikaze airplane attacks, for which he was given a Naval Ordnance Development Award. In particular, he designed the linkage computer that was part of the Mk. 56 system. At the time, he was more proud of the design than the medal, but in later years it would come in handy.
Later, he conducted initial design work with other scientists such as John von Neumann
, Vannevar Bush
, and Claude Shannon on emerging computing elements, including ciphering.
He returned to Prague in 1946, and became the department head at Prague's CTU of the Department of Mathematics. He attempted to get tenure but initially was rebuffed, and thus in 1950 he accepted an offer from Eduard Čech
, the director of the Central Institute of Mathematical Studies, to come there and set up a new institute of what was called at the time "mathematical machinery".
In 1950, he launched the Academy of Science's Institute of Mathematical Machinery, and constructed the computer known as SAPO, the world's first fault-tolerant computer design. Based on unorthodox and untried elements and designs such as electromagnetic
relays and drums, its architecture was quite advanced compared to other contemporary efforts such as ENIAC
.
Dr. Svoboda went on to design several other follow-on computers, but after Czechoslovakia fell more fully under Soviet domination, began to feel constrained. Soviet officials limited his work and his access to the military computers he helped design, and eventually locked him out of his own office and told him that he would have to report to a political officer.
and from there to Greece
, and then to the USA once more. Upon his arrival immigration officials were unmoved by his situation until he produced the medal given to him by the US Navy. Communication with certain authorities established his bona fides as a useful scientist, and he was quickly admitted to the country.
He worked at the University of California
in Los Angeles as a professor of computer sciences, refining his theories on computer design, fault tolerance, mathematics and electrical engineering, and retired in 1977.
He died on May 18, 1980 in Portland, Oregon
.
, from early work on computer modeling to innovative combinations of electrical engineering with logic design to make fault-tolerant computers.
Dr. Svoboda's resistance to both Nazi Germany
and, later, the USSR was a reason cited by many fleeing scientists during the 1960s from Czechoslovakia, who said he gave them the courage to dissent. His influence on computer technology is no less profound, as he was the author of one of the very first books on computer science and many of the basic axioms developed in its theory were worked on by him along with many other scientists.
Among his publications is the volume _Computing Mechanisms and Linkages_, part of the M.I.T. Radiation Laboratory series; it describes advanced procedures for optimizing linkage-type mechanical analog computing mechanisms, no doubt learned from when he designed such a computer for the U.S. Navy's Mk. 56 G.F.C.S.
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
, mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, electrical engineer, and researcher. He is credited with originating the design of fault-tolerant computer systems
Fault-tolerant computer systems
Fault-tolerant computer systems are systems designed around the concepts of fault tolerance. In essence, they have to be able to keep working to a level of satisfaction in the presence of faults.- Types of fault tolerance :...
, and with the creation of SAPO
SAPO (computer)
The SAPO was the first Czechoslovak computer. It operated in the years 1957-1960 in Výzkumný ústav matematických strojů, part of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences...
, the first Czech computer design.
Early life
Svoboda was born in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1907. Attending a series of schools, he studied at the College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of Czech Technical University in Prague
Czech Technical University in Prague
Czech Technical University in Prague is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic, and the oldest institute of technology in Central Europe....
(CTU), from where he graduated in 1931. In that same year, he traveled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
briefly to study physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, but returned to Czechoslovakia to conduct research and study under V. Dolejska, who made very significant discoveries in X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
spectrography.
Professional career
Svoboda and V. Dolejska worked together on several projects, including X-rays and other astronomyAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
-related aspects, but the rapidly rising specter of what was occurring in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, set against the backdrop of the economic collapse
Economic collapse
There is no precise definition of an economic collapse. While some might consider a a severe, prolonged depression with high bankruptcy rates and high unemployment an economic collapse, others would additionally look for a breakdown in normal commerce, such as hyperinfalation, or even a sharp...
during his time, made pure science difficult to pursue. Even so, Svoboda took up positions at the CTU, including becoming an assistant professor of electrical engineering. He eventually gained his Ph.D in 1935, working on the concepts of mathematical models in the use and transmission of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
and current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
.
Wartime
In 1936, with war looming, Dr. Svoboda quit his positions in academia and joined the CDF and the Ministry of National Defense. Working there on a variety of projects, he was successful in vastly improving anti-aircraft artillery sights, capable of using predictive motion to "lead" a moving aircraftAircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
based on its direction and speed and adjusting the aim accordingly so that flak would hit. He worked on this project until the fall of Czechoslovakia in 1939.
At that time, alarmed that their research would fall into the hands of Nazi scientists, Svoboda and his research team fled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, hoping to find a sympathetic ear and a place to work to fight the Germans however they could. Unfortunately, by the time Svoboda had gotten settled in, Germany's Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
had started the blitzkrieg, bypassing the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
and directly threatening Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he was working. During this time, Svoboda began work on what would eventually become his computer in later years, but his designs and drawings were all he had. Unwilling to leave such treasures to the Germans, he took them with him, but buried them in construcion of his bicycle..
Escape from Europe
Svoboda's flight this time was far less organized, fleeing fast moving PanzerPanzer
A Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
units. Just before France fell his wife had completed her pregnancy, bearing twin sons. During the flight, one of the babies was killed, and there was a great deal of harassment as they fled.
They managed to arrive in Marseilles, where they attempted first to get out of France to Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, and when that failed, managed to get to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. Unfortunately, the ship's captain had no room for much cargo—with over two million refugees in Lisbon, space was at a premium. Sadly, Dr. Svoboda had to throw his bicycle in which were hidden plans of anti-aircraft sight. They should be hidden not to fall in naci's hands.
Living in the US
Dr. Svoboda arrived in the US in 1941, settling in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
after almost a year of trials and tribulations. Svoboda participated in experiments in the Radiation Laboratory
Radiation Laboratory
The Radiation Laboratory, commonly called the Rad Lab, was located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts and functioned from October 1940 until December 31, 1945...
at MIT in Boston, and worked to develop a new auto-aiming targeting scope for warship anti-aircraft cannons. This was eventually developed fully as the Mark 56 Gun Fire Control System, which was mounted in the final stages of the war and was very effective in reducing the amount of damage by kamikaze airplane attacks, for which he was given a Naval Ordnance Development Award. In particular, he designed the linkage computer that was part of the Mk. 56 system. At the time, he was more proud of the design than the medal, but in later years it would come in handy.
Later, he conducted initial design work with other scientists such as John von Neumann
John von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
, Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush was an American engineer and science administrator known for his work on analog computing, his political role in the development of the atomic bomb as a primary organizer of the Manhattan Project, the founding of Raytheon, and the idea of the memex, an adjustable microfilm viewer...
, and Claude Shannon on emerging computing elements, including ciphering.
After the war
After the war, he spent some time helping to write computer documentation for the initial efforts in the US before returning to Prague. While initially he had wanted to stay in the USA to participate in the development of computers, early frustrations and military controls of the project made him decide he would be better off trying to build up a Czechoslovakian computer.He returned to Prague in 1946, and became the department head at Prague's CTU of the Department of Mathematics. He attempted to get tenure but initially was rebuffed, and thus in 1950 he accepted an offer from Eduard Čech
Eduard Cech
Eduard Čech was a Czech mathematician born in Stračov, Bohemia . His research interests included projective differential geometry and topology. In 1921–1922 he collaborated with Guido Fubini in Turin...
, the director of the Central Institute of Mathematical Studies, to come there and set up a new institute of what was called at the time "mathematical machinery".
In 1950, he launched the Academy of Science's Institute of Mathematical Machinery, and constructed the computer known as SAPO, the world's first fault-tolerant computer design. Based on unorthodox and untried elements and designs such as electromagnetic
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
relays and drums, its architecture was quite advanced compared to other contemporary efforts such as ENIAC
ENIAC
ENIAC was the first general-purpose electronic computer. It was a Turing-complete digital computer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems....
.
Dr. Svoboda went on to design several other follow-on computers, but after Czechoslovakia fell more fully under Soviet domination, began to feel constrained. Soviet officials limited his work and his access to the military computers he helped design, and eventually locked him out of his own office and told him that he would have to report to a political officer.
Return to the US
Dr. Svoboda left the unstable situation in Czechoslovakia in 1964, traveling first to YugoslaviaYugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and from there to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and then to the USA once more. Upon his arrival immigration officials were unmoved by his situation until he produced the medal given to him by the US Navy. Communication with certain authorities established his bona fides as a useful scientist, and he was quickly admitted to the country.
He worked at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
in Los Angeles as a professor of computer sciences, refining his theories on computer design, fault tolerance, mathematics and electrical engineering, and retired in 1977.
He died on May 18, 1980 in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Impact
Dr. Svoboda was one of the most influential scientists in the 20th century. His designs and influence can be felt in everything from the computer design of the Apollo program to the theory behind what became the Phalanx CIWSPhalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
, from early work on computer modeling to innovative combinations of electrical engineering with logic design to make fault-tolerant computers.
Dr. Svoboda's resistance to both Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and, later, the USSR was a reason cited by many fleeing scientists during the 1960s from Czechoslovakia, who said he gave them the courage to dissent. His influence on computer technology is no less profound, as he was the author of one of the very first books on computer science and many of the basic axioms developed in its theory were worked on by him along with many other scientists.
Among his publications is the volume _Computing Mechanisms and Linkages_, part of the M.I.T. Radiation Laboratory series; it describes advanced procedures for optimizing linkage-type mechanical analog computing mechanisms, no doubt learned from when he designed such a computer for the U.S. Navy's Mk. 56 G.F.C.S.
External links in English
- Oral history interview with Antonín Svoboda. Charles Babbage InstituteCharles Babbage InstituteThe Charles Babbage Institute is a research center at the University of Minnesota specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the history since 1935 of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking....
, University of Minnesota. Svoboda describes his research on computing in Czechoslovakia, France, and the United States. Oral history interview by Robina Mapstone, 15 November 1979. - University of California: In memoriam, 1980