Hewitt Crane
Encyclopedia
Hewitt D. Crane was an American
engineer
best known for his pioneering work at SRI International
on ERMA (Electronic Recording Machine, Accounting
), for Bank of America
, magnetic digital logic, neuristor logic, the development of an eye-movement tracking device
, and a pen-input device
for computers.
. After a stint in the U.S. Navy as a radar technician during World War II
, he worked as a computer maintenance technician for IBM
(1949–1952), followed by working on digital computer design under the leadership of John von Neumann
at the Institute for Advanced Study
, in Princeton, New Jersey (IAS is not affiliated with Princeton University).
). In order to develop magnetic logic, Crane controlled the direction of bit flow in magnetic ferrite memory cores
. Ferrite
logic circuits are inherently more stable than vacuum tube
s and transistor
s, draw no power when unused, and are impervious to electromagnetic interference. In 1959, Crane introduced the all-magnetic logic approach at the Fall Joint Computer Conference, eventually leading to a demonstration of the world's first all-magnetic computer in 1961. The technology was soon commercialized by Aircraft Marine Products (AMP) Inc., under license from SRI, and used primarily in the rapid transit system of New York
city and at railroad switching yards, where electro-magnetic interference made electronic computers unfeasible. The development and growth of planar transistors in silicon chip
s and integrated circuit
s displaced magnetic core logic, although it may still be useful for extended space missions and other extreme conditions, but using integrated circuit manufacturing techniques (e.g. etching and deposition of a substrate, and not an assembly of discrete magnetic cores). The prototype of the first all-magnetic computer now resides at the Computer History Museum
, in Mountain View, California.
Douglas Engelbart
worked with Crane on magnetic logic devices, early in their careers, before Engelbart moved on to work on hypermedia and augmenting the human intellect with computers, and before Crane began research on replicating human functions with digital computers. In addition to his engineering work at SRI, Crane cofounded Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC), to commercialize computer-based handwriting recognition
on graphics tablet
s. CIC's "Jot" handwriting recognition software was later acquired by Palm
and renamed Graffiti 2
.
In 1959, with fellow SRI engineers David Bennion
, Charles Rosen
, and Howard Zeidler, Crane co-founded Ridge Vineyards
. One of its red wines placed fifth in the Judgment of Paris wine tasting.
as an energy measure, and development of a manuscript on issues related to energy development
, in collaboration with SRI-International colleagues: Ed Kinderman, and Ripudaman Malhotra.
Crane died from complications of Alzheimer's disease
on June 17, 2008 at his home in Portola Valley, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
engineer
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
best known for his pioneering work at SRI International
SRI International
SRI International , founded as Stanford Research Institute, is one of the world's largest contract research institutes. Based in Menlo Park, California, the trustees of Stanford University established it in 1946 as a center of innovation to support economic development in the region. It was later...
on ERMA (Electronic Recording Machine, Accounting
Electronic Recording Machine, Accounting
ERMA , was a pioneering computer development project run at SRI under contract to Bank of America in order to automate banking bookkeeping...
), for Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, magnetic digital logic, neuristor logic, the development of an eye-movement tracking device
Eye tracking
Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movement. Eye trackers are used in research on the visual system, in psychology, in cognitive linguistics and in product...
, and a pen-input device
Input device
In computing, an input device is any peripheral used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or other information appliance...
for computers.
Early life and career
Crane was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New JerseyJersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. After a stint in the U.S. Navy as a radar technician during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he worked as a computer maintenance technician for IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
(1949–1952), followed by working on digital computer design under the leadership of 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,...
at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
, in Princeton, New Jersey (IAS is not affiliated with Princeton University).
Hardware development
He then developed magnetic multiaperture devices (MADs) at RCA Laboratories (now Sarnoff CorporationSarnoff Corporation
Sarnoff Corporation, with headquarters in West Windsor Township, New Jersey, was a research and development company specializing in vision, video and semiconductor technology....
). In order to develop magnetic logic, Crane controlled the direction of bit flow in magnetic ferrite memory cores
Magnetic core memory
Magnetic-core memory was the predominant form of random-access computer memory for 20 years . It uses tiny magnetic toroids , the cores, through which wires are threaded to write and read information. Each core represents one bit of information...
. Ferrite
Ferrite (magnet)
Ferrites are chemical compounds consisting of ceramic materials with iron oxide as their principal component. Many of them are magnetic materials and they are used to make permanent magnets, ferrite cores for transformers, and in various other applications.Many ferrites are spinels with the...
logic circuits are inherently more stable than vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
s and transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
s, draw no power when unused, and are impervious to electromagnetic interference. In 1959, Crane introduced the all-magnetic logic approach at the Fall Joint Computer Conference, eventually leading to a demonstration of the world's first all-magnetic computer in 1961. The technology was soon commercialized by Aircraft Marine Products (AMP) Inc., under license from SRI, and used primarily in the rapid transit system of New York
New 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...
city and at railroad switching yards, where electro-magnetic interference made electronic computers unfeasible. The development and growth of planar transistors in silicon chip
Silicon Chip
Silicon Chip is an Australian electronics magazine. It was started in November, 1987 by Leo Simpson. Following the demise of Electronics Australia, it is the only hobbyist-related electronics magazine remaining in Australia.- Magazine :...
s and integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s displaced magnetic core logic, although it may still be useful for extended space missions and other extreme conditions, but using integrated circuit manufacturing techniques (e.g. etching and deposition of a substrate, and not an assembly of discrete magnetic cores). The prototype of the first all-magnetic computer now resides at the Computer History Museum
Computer History Museum
The Computer History Museum is a museum established in 1996 in Mountain View, California, USA. The Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting the stories and artifacts of the information age, and exploring the computing revolution and its impact on our lives.-History:The museum's origins...
, in Mountain View, California.
Douglas Engelbart
Douglas Engelbart
Douglas Carl Engelbart is an American inventor, and an early computer and internet pioneer. He is best known for his work on the challenges of human-computer interaction, resulting in the invention of the computer mouse, and the development of hypertext, networked computers, and precursors to GUIs...
worked with Crane on magnetic logic devices, early in their careers, before Engelbart moved on to work on hypermedia and augmenting the human intellect with computers, and before Crane began research on replicating human functions with digital computers. In addition to his engineering work at SRI, Crane cofounded Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC), to commercialize computer-based handwriting recognition
Handwriting recognition
Handwriting recognition is the ability of a computer to receive and interpret intelligible handwritten input from sources such as paper documents, photographs, touch-screens and other devices. The image of the written text may be sensed "off line" from a piece of paper by optical scanning or...
on graphics tablet
Graphics tablet
A graphics tablet is a computer input device that enables a user to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures...
s. CIC's "Jot" handwriting recognition software was later acquired by Palm
Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc., was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that was responsible for products such as the Pre and Pixi as well as the Treo and Centro smartphones. Previous product lines include the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, Zire and Tungsten. While their older...
and renamed Graffiti 2
Graffiti 2
Graffiti 2 is a version of the Palm OS handwriting system, Graffiti, that was introduced in 2003. In January of that year PalmSource announced the change, and explained that Graffiti 2 was based on Jot by Communication Intelligence Corporation , and would replace the original version of Graffiti...
.
Ridge Vineyards
David Bennion
Dave Bennion was a California winery owner. From an early period, Bennion labeled Ridge Vineyards wines by vineyard, district, appellation and varietal rather than generically...
, Charles Rosen
Charles Rosen (scientist)
Charles Rosen was a pioneer in artificial intelligence and founder of SRI International's Artificial Intelligence Center...
, and Howard Zeidler, Crane co-founded Ridge Vineyards
Ridge Vineyards
Ridge Vineyards is a California winery specializing in premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay wines. Ridge produces wine at two winery locations in northern California...
. One of its red wines placed fifth in the Judgment of Paris wine tasting.
Energy development
Crane's last intellectual effort was promoting the use of a cubic mile of oilCubic mile of oil
The cubic mile of oil is a unit of energy. It was created by Hew Crane of SRI International to aid in public understanding of global-scale energy consumption and resources....
as an energy measure, and development of a manuscript on issues related to energy development
Energy development
Energy development is the effort to provide sufficient primary energy sources and secondary energy forms for supply, cost, impact on air pollution and water pollution, mitigation of climate change with renewable energy....
, in collaboration with SRI-International colleagues: Ed Kinderman, and Ripudaman Malhotra.
Crane died from complications of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
on June 17, 2008 at his home in Portola Valley, California
Portola Valley, California
Portola Valley is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 4,353 at the 2010 census. It was named for Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola, who led the first party of Europeans to explore the San Francisco Peninsula, in 1769.Portola Valley is one of the...
.