Indian sound wizard named in US Inventors’ Hall of Fame

NEW YORK: Amar Bose, a pioneer in modern acoustics who is known for the high-end audio products bearing his name, has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in the US, which has previously honoured Thomas Edison, Graham Bell and the Wright Brothers.

Born in the US to a Bengali father and a German mother, Bose’s name is in the 2008 list of 18 inventors to be honoured, 11 of them posthumously, by the Ohio-based Hall of Fame in May.

The citation released last month for the 78-year-old, who founded the Bose Corporation in 1964, says: “Bose has introduced a variety of products through his company, including the 901 Direct/Reflecting speaker system, customised sound systems for automobiles, and active noise-reducing headphone.”

Raised in Philadelphia, Bose’s passion for technology goes back to the time when at age 13 he started repairing radios during World War II. His research at MIT led to the development of new, patented technologies.

With those patents, he founded Bose Corporation in Framingham, Massachusetts. The company’s first product, designed to recreate the rich sounds of live musical performances, was the 901 speakers.