James C. Bliss (October 21, 1933 – January 24, 2012) was an American
electrical engineer and entrepreneur best known for his pioneering role in developing
technological aids for
visually impaired
Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment†...
people.
Education and technical research
Born in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...
, Jim Bliss grew up in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
and
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. He received his B.S.E.E. degree from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in 1956 and began working at
Stanford Research Institute
SRI International (SRI) is an American nonprofit scientific research institute and organization headquartered in Menlo Park, California. The trustees of Stanford University established SRI in 1946 as a center of innovation to support economic ...
(SRI) in
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south ...
, while enrolled in graduate school at
Stanford University. He received his M.S.E.E. from Stanford (1958) and his Ph.D. from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
(1961).
He returned to SRI where he became head of the Bio-Information Systems Group. He continued his dissertation work in tactile communication and also lectured in EE at Stanford, where he met
John Linvill, who had conceived a machine that would allow his blind daughter, Candy, to read ordinary print by translating the letter images into vibrations. In 1962 Bliss and Linvill began a multi-year development effort at Stanford and SRI culminating in a successful prototype called the "
Optacon" in 1969.
Business development
To commercialize the Optacon, Bliss and Linvill founded
Telesensory Systems, Inc. in 1970. Bliss left his position of associate professor at Stanford and became president of TSI, which position he held from the company's beginning until 1992. Under his leadership the company developed, manufactured, and sold many innovative electronics communications products for blind and visually impaired people. In 1994 he founded JBliss Imaging Systems, which provided easy-to-use equipment for scanning and reading aloud printed materials.
Jim Bliss retired in 2005; he died of
multiple myeloma on January 24, 2012.
Publications and awards
James C. Bliss published more than a dozen technical papers. In 2007 he received the Migel Medal Award of the
American Foundation for the Blind
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is an American non-profit organization for people with vision loss. AFB's objectives include conducting research to advance change, promoting knowledge and understanding, and shaping policies and practice ...
.
2007 Migel Medal Awardees
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References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss, James C.
American electrical engineers
MIT School of Engineering alumni
1933 births
2012 deaths
Deaths from multiple myeloma
SRI International people
Deaths from cancer in the United States