75 Years Later, WRC Continues the Spirit of Wireless Innovation
WRC celebrates the 75th anniversary of the transistor, invented in December 1947 by American physicists John Bardeen and Walter Brattain. The transistor led to transistor radio development and countless small but powerful electronic devices and uses, laying the ground work for the Wireless Research Center, now known as WRC.
"The future began 75 years ago this week with the invention of something small that’s considered the most manufactured item in human history. Odds are, you are surrounded by them right now." — NPR Marketplace
Just about everything electronic—every gadget or gizmo within reach—is full of transistors. Following the invention of the transistor—that revolutionized the field of consumer electronics—the Regency TR-1, invented by Texas Instruments electrical engineer Patrick Haggerty, was released in 1954, becoming the first commercial transistor radio. Since, the market has evolved from radios to smartphones to vehicles to wearables and a myriad of radio-based (wireless) technologies.
Since its founding in 2010, WRC has been at the forefront of wireless innovation—from helping network operators solve connectivity challenges through integrating emergency technologies, to present day Internet-of-Things possibilities and mission-critical applications for public safety and medical wearables.
WRC Staff Members Have Contributed to Over 125 Patents Throughout Their Careers
Standing on the shoulders of companies and research facilities like Bell Labs, Texas Instruments and Sony Ericsson, numerous talented scientists and engineers, and decades of radio-based technology inventions, WRC continues the spirit of wireless innovation. Today at WRC, new technologies are developed and tested with state-of-the-art facilities and a team of exceptional engineers, collaborating with companies, organizations and entrepreneurs to invent the next-generation of wireless products, services and applications.
Hats off to the transistor, invented 75 years ago, wireless innovators past, present and future, and all of the inventions still to come.