Robert Lucky
Encyclopedia
Robert Wendell Lucky is an electrical engineer, inventor, and research manager who worked at Bell Labs
and Telcordia Technologies
. He is best known for his writings and speeches about technology
, society
, and engineering
culture
. Bob is a Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the National Academy of Engineering
. He is also a member of TTI/Vanguard
's advisory board.
, and went to high school in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
. He studied electrical engineering
at Purdue University
, graduating with a BSEE
in 1957. He stayed on at Purdue and was granted an MSEE in 1959. Continuing at Purdue he did his PhD
research under John C Hancock, writing a thesis on simultaneous amplitude modulated and phase modulated digital communication. In his thesis he derived two-dimensional signal constellations that are similar to those used in the quadrature amplitude modulation
(QAM) systems commonly used in high speed digital communications today. He received his PhD from Purdue in 1961.
, and in the years to follow he was promoted a number of times, becoming in 1982 the executive director of the communications sciences research division. This division comprised essentially all of the Bell Labs research on wireless, optical systems, and other communications systems topics, as well as some of the Bell Labs research on physics
and computer science
. Two Nobel Prizes were won by researchers in the division.
Lucky left Bell Labs in 1992 and joined Bellcore, the research laboratory for the divested Bell Telephone companies, where he was corporate vice president, responsible for management of research. A few years later Bellcore was sold to SAIC
(Science Applications International) and renamed Telcordia Technologies. Robert Lucky retired from Telcordia in 2002.
. Each dialed connection would have a different distorting effect on the series of pulses sent to convey digital information, smearing successive pulses and entangling them, resulting in errors in detection.
Lucky invented a way to adaptively undo the smearing effects by automatic adjustment of a variable filter, using a tapped delay line
with adjustable gains at each tap. The equalizer
used a steepest descent algorithm
to minimize distortion. It was initially trained by a series of known pulses, but during actual data transmission it relied upon decision-directed adjustment, which assumed that decisions about pulses were largely correct and could be used for reconstruction of the ongoing error.
The first adaptive equalizer, in 1964, used 13 adjustable gains, each set by 8 relays. The rack of equipment was about 5 foot high. Its use immediately made possible data transmission at 9600 bits per second – four times the highest previously attainable speed.
Shortly thereafter, the relays were replaced with transistor
switches, then in succeeding years the equalizer was implemented with a special purpose integrated circuit. Today adaptive equalization is built in to almost every modem and is simply a subroutine in the instruction program for an embedded microprocessor
.
, president of the Communications Society, and executive vice president of the parent IEEE. His government service included being chairman of the United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
Technological Advisory Council, chairman of the statutory visiting committee of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
, and membership on the Defense Science Board
. He also has been active with the National Academy of Engineering and on the advisory boards of a number of universities.
, the 1995 IEEE Edison Medal
, and the 1998 Golden Jubilee Award for Technological Innovation from the IEEE Information Theory Society
. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
.
Since 1982 he has written a bi-monthly column, Reflections, in IEEE Spectrum Magazine, which features his essays on technology and engineering culture.
, chairman of Marconi Society, and a member of advisory board of TTI/Vanguard
. The governor of New Jersey
appointed him to the Authority for the Redevelopment of Fort Monmouth
, and he was elected chairman of that Authority.
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
and Telcordia Technologies
Telcordia Technologies
Telcordia Technologies, formerly Bell Communications Research, Inc. or Bellcore, is a telecommunications research and development company based in the United States created as part of the 1982 Modification of Final Judgment that broke up American Telephone & Telegraph...
. He is best known for his writings and speeches about technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. Bob is a Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
. He is also a member of TTI/Vanguard
TTI/Vanguard
TTI/Vanguard is an advanced technology conference series for senior-level executives. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, TTI/Vanguard explores emerging and potentially disruptive technologies and their global impact. Five times annually, corporate and government leaders, entrepreneurs,...
's advisory board.
Early Life
Robert Lucky was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and went to high school in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Mt. Lebanon is a home rule municipality, formerly a township, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 33,137 at the 2010 census....
. He studied electrical engineering
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...
at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, graduating with a BSEE
BSEE
BSEE may stand for:* Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, an undergraduate degree.* Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, an agency of the U.S. Department of Interior....
in 1957. He stayed on at Purdue and was granted an MSEE in 1959. Continuing at Purdue he did his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
research under John C Hancock, writing a thesis on simultaneous amplitude modulated and phase modulated digital communication. In his thesis he derived two-dimensional signal constellations that are similar to those used in the quadrature amplitude modulation
Quadrature amplitude modulation
Quadrature amplitude modulation is both an analog and a digital modulation scheme. It conveys two analog message signals, or two digital bit streams, by changing the amplitudes of two carrier waves, using the amplitude-shift keying digital modulation scheme or amplitude modulation analog...
(QAM) systems commonly used in high speed digital communications today. He received his PhD from Purdue in 1961.
Career
Robert Lucky joined Bell Labs in 1961, where his initial assignment was in the Data Theory Department under William R Bennett. In 1964 he made his best known invention, the adaptive equalizerAdaptive equalizer
An adaptive equalizer is an equalizer that automatically adapts to time-varying properties of the communication channel. It is frequently used with coherent modulations such as phase shift keying, mitigating the effects of multipath propagation and Doppler spreading.Many adaptation strategies exist...
, and in the years to follow he was promoted a number of times, becoming in 1982 the executive director of the communications sciences research division. This division comprised essentially all of the Bell Labs research on wireless, optical systems, and other communications systems topics, as well as some of the Bell Labs research on 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...
and computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. Two Nobel Prizes were won by researchers in the division.
Lucky left Bell Labs in 1992 and joined Bellcore, the research laboratory for the divested Bell Telephone companies, where he was corporate vice president, responsible for management of research. A few years later Bellcore was sold to SAIC
SAIC
The acronym SAIC can stand for:*Science Applications International Corporation*School of the Art Institute of Chicago*Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation*Shanghai Aviation Industrial Company*Special Agent in Charge, acronym used by some U.S...
(Science Applications International) and renamed Telcordia Technologies. Robert Lucky retired from Telcordia in 2002.
The Adaptive Equalizer
In the early 1960s the highest speed for modems on telephone lines was 2400 bits per second. Higher speeds were not possible because of intersymbol interferenceIntersymbol interference
In telecommunication, intersymbol interference is a form of distortion of a signal in which one symbol interferes with subsequent symbols. This is an unwanted phenomenon as the previous symbols have similar effect as noise, thus making the communication less reliable...
. Each dialed connection would have a different distorting effect on the series of pulses sent to convey digital information, smearing successive pulses and entangling them, resulting in errors in detection.
Lucky invented a way to adaptively undo the smearing effects by automatic adjustment of a variable filter, using a tapped delay line
Delay line
Delay line may refer to:* Propagation delay, the length of time taken for something to reach its destination* Analog delay line, used to delay a signal...
with adjustable gains at each tap. The equalizer
Equalizer
Equalizer or equaliser may refer to:*Equalization, the process of adjusting the strength of certain frequencies within a signal*An equalization filter for used audio and similar signals...
used a steepest descent algorithm
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
to minimize distortion. It was initially trained by a series of known pulses, but during actual data transmission it relied upon decision-directed adjustment, which assumed that decisions about pulses were largely correct and could be used for reconstruction of the ongoing error.
The first adaptive equalizer, in 1964, used 13 adjustable gains, each set by 8 relays. The rack of equipment was about 5 foot high. Its use immediately made possible data transmission at 9600 bits per second – four times the highest previously attainable speed.
Shortly thereafter, the relays were replaced with 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...
switches, then in succeeding years the equalizer was implemented with a special purpose integrated circuit. Today adaptive equalization is built in to almost every modem and is simply a subroutine in the instruction program for an embedded microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
.
Advisory Positions
Throughout his career, Lucky has been heavily involved in advisory and participatory roles in engineering societies, universities, and government. In the IEEE he has been editor of the Proceedings of the IEEEProceedings of the IEEE
The Proceedings of the IEEE is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers...
, president of the Communications Society, and executive vice president of the parent IEEE. His government service included being chairman of the United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
Technological Advisory Council, chairman of the statutory visiting committee of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
, and membership on the Defense Science Board
Defense Science Board
The Defense Science Board is a committee of civilian experts appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Defense on scientific and technical matters...
. He also has been active with the National Academy of Engineering and on the advisory boards of a number of universities.
Honors and awards
Among his honors, Robert Lucky has been awarded four honorary doctorate degrees, the 1987 Marconi PrizeMarconi Prize
The Marconi Prize is an annual award by The Marconi Society, which recognizes advancements in information technology and communications. The Prize includes a $100,000 honorarium and a work of sculpture, and honorees are called Marconi Fellows...
, the 1995 IEEE Edison Medal
IEEE Edison Medal
The Edison Medal is presented by the IEEE "for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering or the electrical arts." It is the oldest and most coveted medal in this field of engineering in the United States. The award consists of a gold medal, bronze replica,...
, and the 1998 Golden Jubilee Award for Technological Innovation from the IEEE Information Theory Society
IEEE Information Theory Society
The IEEE Information Theory Society , formerly the IEEE Information Theory Group, is a professional society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers focused on several aspects of information: its processing, transmission, storage, and usage; and the "foundations of the...
. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
European Academy of Sciences and Arts
The European Academy of Sciences and Arts was created in 1990 in Salzburg, Austria by heart surgeon Felix Unger of Salzburg; the cardinal archbishop of Vienna, Franz König; and the political scientist and philosopher Nikolaus Lobkowicz....
.
Writings
He is the author (with J Salz and EJ Weldon) of a textbook, Principles of Data Communications (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1965). He wrote a popularized account of information theory in Silicon Dreams (St Martins Press, New York, 1989). A compilation of his essays was published under the title Lucky Strikes Again (Wiley/IEEE Press, 1992).Since 1982 he has written a bi-monthly column, Reflections, in IEEE Spectrum Magazine, which features his essays on technology and engineering culture.
Later Career
Since retirement in 2002, Lucky has been a member of the Defense Science Board, chairman of the board of ANSER, Inc., a member of the Laboratory Operations Board of the United States Department of EnergyUnited States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
, chairman of Marconi Society, and a member of advisory board of TTI/Vanguard
TTI/Vanguard
TTI/Vanguard is an advanced technology conference series for senior-level executives. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, TTI/Vanguard explores emerging and potentially disruptive technologies and their global impact. Five times annually, corporate and government leaders, entrepreneurs,...
. The governor of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
appointed him to the Authority for the Redevelopment of Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth was an installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The post covers nearly of land, from the Shrewsbury...
, and he was elected chairman of that Authority.
External Links
- Robert Lucky’s personal website (http://www.boblucky.com)
- IEEE Spectrum Reflections Columns by Robert Lucky (http://www.boblucky.com/spectrum)
- An Oral History by Robert Lucky (http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Oral-History:Robert_Lucky)
- A Video Lecture by Robert Lucky, Introduction to Optical Communications, 1988 (http://www.archive.org/details/RobertWL1988)
- Some journal publications by Robert Lucky (http://www.boblucky.com/articles)