Acoustic modem

ACOUSTIC MODEM- 1966

SRI scientists made vast improvements to the acoustically coupled modem, which had been invented elsewhere in the early 1960s. SRI’s improvements included a receiver that could detect bits of data amid the “hiss” heard over long-distance telephone connections.

In 1966, SRI patented two acoustical couplers that gave the deaf a way to communicate. The modems also allowed for the first broad-area computer network connections.

Read our 75th anniversary blog feature

75 years of innovation: Acoustic Modem

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