Jean Guy Marie Josef ''chevalier'' de Wouters d'Oplinter (1905 – 1973) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

and

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

. He was born in Brussels. In 1957, he created the Calypso-Phot for

Jacques-Yves Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). Th ...

under their

La Spirotechnique Aqua Lung International (formerly La Spirotechnique) is a large and well-known firm which makes scuba set, scuba and other self-contained breathing apparatus, and other diving equipment. It produced the Aqua-Lung line of regulators, like the C ...

company name. It was later licensed to

Nikon (, ; ), also known just as Nikon, is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging products. The companies held by Nikon form the Nikon Group. Nikon's products include cameras, camera ...

, where it became the Nikonos, (for a period sold in Europe as the Calypso-Nikkor). De Wouters apparently worked in

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

earlier in life, possibly during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, since he holds several patents for airplane improvements dating to that time period. He died in Rome in 1973. Jean_de_Wouters_d'Oplinter_W

External links

List of Patented Inventions

History of the NIKONOS including development by Wouters

1905 births 1973 deaths Engineers from Brussels 20th-century Belgian engineers Aeronautical engineers {{Belgium-engineer-stub