Ferranti MRT Facts for Kids

The Ferranti Market Research Terminal (MRT) was a very special kind of handheld computer. It was one of the first computers ever made for just one job. This job was helping people do market research. Before the MRT, people used clipboards and pencils to write down answers from surveys. The MRT was designed to replace these old methods.

It looked a bit like a calculator built into a clipboard. But inside, it was a smart device that could be programmed. When an interviewer asked questions, they would press keys on the MRT to record the answers. This meant the answers were saved digitally. Later, the data could be easily uploaded and studied. The MRT had its own special software, called an operating system, just for doing market research in the field.

The Ferranti MRT is also important in computer history. It was the very last original computer design from the company Ferranti. Ferranti was a very old business, started in 1882. They became famous for working with Manchester University to create the "Ferranti Mark 1". This was the world's first computer sold to businesses. Later, they worked with Cambridge University on the "Atlas" and "Titan" computers. At one point, Ferranti made about a quarter of all computers in the world!

History of the MRT

Ferranti made two versions of this special computer: the MRT-100 and the MRT-200. These were based on an earlier test version from 1978 called the Questronic. This early model was designed at Sheffield University.

It's hard to imagine now, but in the late 1970s, computers were very new. The IBM PC, which led to the desktop and laptop computers we use today, only came out in 1981. Handheld computers, not counting simple calculators, first appeared around 1980. The Tandy Pocket Computer was one of the first. Later that year, Panasonic also made a handheld computer. But these were general-purpose computers, meaning they could do many different things. The Ferranti MRT was different because it was made for one specific job: market research.

In 1989, Ferranti joined with an American company. But by December 1994, Ferranti went out of business. This was the end of the Ferranti MRT. It also marked the end of Ferranti's long history of making new and exciting computers and electronics in the UK.

How the MRT Worked

A researcher named Deborah Martell described the Ferranti MRT in a book from 1987. She explained that getting accurate information from surveys is very important for businesses. New technology, like the MRT, was making this much easier.

Here's what she said about the MRT:

The MRT was a small, battery-powered device you could hold in your hand.
It replaced the old clipboard and pencil for gathering information from people.
It was a big improvement for surveys. Since the information was saved electronically, it could go straight into a computer.
This meant fewer mistakes because people didn't have to type in the data later.
It also meant survey results could be ready much faster.
Other good things were that it saved money on paper and made interviewers more efficient.

The MRT also had a cool feature: it could send the collected information through phone lines. It used a portable modem, which was very advanced technology at the time. To give you an idea, the Internet as we know it today, where everyone could use it for business, only became common in 1995. So, the Ferranti MRT was being used for over 10 years before the modern internet was widely available!

Ferranti MRT facts for kids

History of the MRT

How the MRT Worked

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