Steven Sasson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steve Sasson
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Steve Sasson at Photokina 2013
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (BS, 1972; MS, 1973) |
| Occupation | Electrical engineer Inventor |
| Known for | Inventor of the first self-contained digital camera |
Steve J. Sasson is an American electrical engineer and a famous inventor. He is best known for creating the world's first portable digital camera. He started working at a company called Kodak right after finishing engineering school. He worked there for many years before he retired in 2009.
Contents
Steve Sasson's Early Life and School
Steve Sasson was born in Brooklyn, New York. His mother was from Norway.
He went to Brooklyn Technical High School. After high school, he studied electrical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He earned two degrees there, one in 1972 and another in 1973.
Inventing the First Digital Camera
In 1975, Steve Sasson, who worked at Kodak, created something amazing: the first portable digital camera. This camera was special because it could take pictures and store them digitally all by itself.
- It weighed about 8 pounds, which is like carrying a small bowling ball!
- It used a special sensor that had only 100 by 100 pixels. This is a very small number compared to today's cameras, which have millions of pixels.
- The camera saved the pictures onto a cassette tape.
- It took about 23 seconds to save just one picture.
- The pictures it took were in black and white.
Steve Sasson wanted to build a camera that didn't need many moving parts. Even though his first camera had some moving parts, like the tape drive, it was a huge step forward.
In 1977, Kodak applied for a patent for some of the ideas in Steve's camera. A patent is like a special permission that protects an invention. This patent was called "electronic still camera."
Steve's camera was not the very first device to make digital images. For example, satellites like Landsat 1 took digital photos of places like Yosemite in 1972. But Steve's invention was the first digital camera you could hold and carry around.
Steve Sasson's Career and Awards
Steve Sasson's work on digital cameras started in 1975. His boss at Eastman Kodak Company, Gareth A. Lloyd, asked him to try building an electronic camera. He used a special part called a charge-coupled device (CCD) that was available at the time. His invention led to the patent we talked about earlier.
Steve Sasson retired from Eastman Kodak Company in 2009. After that, he worked as a consultant, helping with intellectual property protection. In 2018, he joined the University of South Florida Institute for Advanced Discovery & Innovation.
Steve Sasson has received many important awards for his invention:
- On November 17, 2009, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, gave Steve Sasson the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. This is the highest honor the U.S. government gives to scientists, engineers, and inventors.
- On September 6, 2012, The Royal Photographic Society gave him the Progress Medal. This award recognizes big advances in photography.
- In 2010, a camera company called Leica Camera AG honored him at a big trade show called Photokina 2010.
- Steve Sasson was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2011. This is a special place for people who have invented amazing things.
- In 2018, he was chosen as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
Patents and Inventions
- U.S. Patent 4,131,919 Patent – Electronic Still camera
See also
In Spanish: Steven Sasson para niños
