WIRELESS HERO

#TBT #wireless fact: Norman Abramson developed world’s first #wireless computer communication in 1971 - #ALOHANET

This article is about the computer scientist and electrical engineer. For the aerospace engineer and scientist, see H. Norman Abramson.
Norman Manuel Abramson (April 1, 1932 – December 1, 2020) was an American engineer and computer scientist, most known for developing the ALOHAnet system for wireless computer communication.

For technophiles, Hawaii is more than just a great place to surf — it’s also the birthplace of wireless LAN technology. Norman Abramson’s claim to fame lies in his achievements with the ALOHAnet, the first wireless local area network. Designed and developed by Abramson at the University of Hawaii, the ALOHAnet was the first network to transmit data succesfully using radio signals — a fundamental technological breakthrough.

While Hawaii may be better known for its natural beauty than for its technological inventions, it actually makes sense that the wireless network was born there. Data transmission and IT resource sharing among the university’s campuses, spread across the state’s many islands, was essential. Abramson’s ALOHAnet used high-speed data packets, known as ALOHA channels, to transmit data over radio frequencies. ALOHA channels in particular have proved to be resilient technology, used in every generation of mobile broadband, from 1G to 4G.

Abramson’s ALOHAnet and its packet broadcast technology was a revolutionary advance over the switched-circuit data technologies of the time. Robert Metcalfe, who went on to develop Ethernet, spent considerable time with Abramson, studying the way that the ALOHAnet used data packets. Ironically, Abramson’s wireless technology helped lay the foundation for Metcalfe’s wired technology.