Before Skype and Facetime, there was this innovative and brilliant invention called “television-telephone.”
And, the man behind it is a Filipino engineer named Gregorio Y. Zara. The photo was shared by the Philippine National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). The NAST is a governing body that recognizes amazing inventions by Filipinos.
They posted a photo of him on Instagram, a photo of Dr. Zara highlighting his invention called: a two-way television-telephone, or videophone.
It was later patented as a “photo phone signal separator network.
The NAST captioned it with:
Before there was Skype and Facetime, a Filipino scientist invented a television-telephone. Aha!
National Scientist Gregorio Y. Zara, a physicist, invented a device that makes it possible for two persons to see each other on a television while talking on the telephone as early as 1954.
Dr. Zara is also a physicist and graduated twice as summa cum laude. He was the first Filipino to receive the highest honor conferred to graduate students – “Tres Honorable.”
He also discovered and contributed changes to the following inventions:
- A sun stove, and a solar battery (1960s)
- Invented a propeller cutting machine (1952)
- He designed a microscope with a collapsible stage
- helped design the robot Marex X-10
- Invented the two-way television telephone or videophone (1955) patented as a “photo phone signal separator network”
- Invented an airplane engine that ran on plain alcohol as fuel (1952)
(Source: Wikipedia)
Dr. Zara died in 1978 due to heart failure.
Sadly, his invention of a two-way television telephone or videophone wasn’t a hit in the commercial market. Nevertheless, his brilliant mind will remain a legacy.
Essentially, keeping up with the technology can help us be productive and more efficient. Thanks to
Thanks to amazing people like Dr. Zafra for making our lives a lot easier!
What are your thoughts about him? Share them in the comment section below.
