Bent Stumpe | |
|---|---|
| Bent Stumpe showing a prototype of a capacitive touchscreen developed at CERN in the 1970’s. [1] —a similar technology to which was applied to the iPhone produced by Apple Inc. many years later. [2] | |
| Born | 12 September 1938 |
| Alma mater | Royal Danish Air Force |
| Occupation | Electronic engineer |
| Known for | Early development of the touchscreen |
Bent Stumpe (born 12 September 1938) is a Danish electronic engineer who spent most of his career at the international research laboratory CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. Stumpe built in 1972, following an idea launched by Frank Beck, a capacitive touchscreen [3] [4] [5] [6] for controlling CERN's Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator. [7] [8] [2] [9] [10] In 1973 Beck and Stumpe published a CERN report, outlining the concept for a prototype touchscreen as well as a multi-function computer-configurable knob. [11] [12]
Bent Stumpe was educated within the Royal Danish Air Force and obtained a certificate as a radio/radar engineer in 1959.
Leaving the Air Force, Stumpe was employed from 1959 to 1961 at the Danish radio and television factory TO-R Radio before he was employed by CERN from 1961 until 2003. [16] In combination with his activities at CERN, Stumpe was a consultant to the World Health Organization working on the development of an instrument for the early detection of Leprosy. [16] [17] [18]