Otis Boykin was an American inventor who devoted his life to improving the operation of electrical resistors. He proved that everything genius is simple and everything simple is genius. Thanks to his various developments, contemporaries can comfortably use electronic devices, such as televisions, radios, computers and even pacemakers. Read more on dallas-future.
Life path
The future inventor was born on August 29, 1920 in Dallas to an ordinary family. His mother was a housewife and his father was a carpenter. In 1941, the young man graduated from Fisk University and became a technician at the Majestic Radio and Television Corporation in Chicago. Having proven himself as a good specialist, Otis took one of the management positions. In a few years, he moved to the research laboratory of P.J. Nielsen Research Labs. The change of workplace gave the inventor the impetus to think about the idea of starting his own project. Then, he launched Boykin-Fruth Inc.
The inventor has also studied to earn a degree at the Illinois Institute of Technology for two years. He burned with a thirst for knowledge. Due to lack of funds, he was forced to leave the institution. Even the parents could not help their son return because they had to count every penny. Financial difficulties did not prevent Otis from doing science. While working in Chicago, he continued to work hard on his own designs. He was especially interested in the new electronics.
Otis Boykin’s inventions that improved the world
Contemporaries often talk about Otis Boykin’s contribution to science. They proudly recall all his inventions, which were able to facilitate and improve the life of society.
In 1959, he got the first patent for a precision wirewound resistor. It is still used in radios and TVs. In 1962, he created another type, which caused a real revolution. It began to be used by the American military when working with guided missiles. In addition, this new resistance-causing element of the electrical circuit was for some time actively used by the largest software company, IBM. The popularity of the invention was determined by the fact that it was inexpensive and reliable. Boykin’s development could withstand extreme speed, significant temperature changes and even some minor breaks in the wire connections. Thus, an updated version was installed even in the pacemaker to make the process of adjusting it easier. Without exaggeration, Boykin’s invention saved tens of thousands of human lives.
These achievements led to the offer of a position as a scientific consultant in Paris. He worked there from 1964 to 1982. Although the inventor began to devote most of his time to other areas, he still continued to improve the resistor. In 1965, he created the electrical capacitor and developed the resistance one two years later. Other notable developments of the inventor were introduced shortly before his death. He created an unbreakable cash register, as well as an air filter that reliably protects against chemical compounds.
The famous inventor died in 1982 in a Chicago hospital. His life was cut short by a complex disease, heart failure. These news shocked the scientific community because Otis was at the peak of his knowledge and perfecting his skills. However, fate had a different plan.
