Contraves Cora

Last updated
Cora
Contraves Cora-IMG 7314.jpg
Cora-1
Manufacturer Contraves
Type Fire-control system
Release datelate 1950s

The Cora was a digital fire-control system designed by Peter Toth and produced by the Swiss company Contraves.

Fire-control system Device which assists use of a weapon by location, tracking, and direction of fire at a target

A fire-control system is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system in targeting, tracking and hitting its target. It performs the same task as a human gunner firing a weapon, but attempts to do so faster and more accurately.

Switzerland Federal republic in Central Europe

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a sovereign state situated in the confluence of western, central, and southern Europe. It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities seated in Bern. Switzerland is a landlocked country bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. It is geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning a total area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi), and land area of 39,997 km2 (15,443 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities are located, among them the two global cities and economic centres of Zürich and Geneva.

Contents

Development

Peter Toth started the design in 1957, and the system was fielded for anti-aircraft fire direction with the Swiss Army in the 60s. [1]

One copy of the system was used at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) for cartography, and was put on display during Expo 64. The unit was rediscovered in storage in 2011, and is now on display at the Musée Bolo, in the Computer Science department of the EPFL. [1]

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne

The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is a research institute and university in Lausanne, Switzerland, that specializes in natural sciences and engineering. It is one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, and it has three main missions: education, research and technology transfer at the highest international level.

Cartography The study and practice of making maps

Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.

Expo 64 Swiss national exposition of 1964

The Swiss national exposition of 1964, usually shortened to Expo 64, was a world's fair held in Lausanne, more specifically in Vidy and the neighbouring Vallée de la Jeunesse, between 30 April and 25 October 1964.

The Musée Bolo met with Peter Toth and released several videos around his work on the Cora. [2] [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 Un ordinateur historique retrouvé dans les caves de l’EPFL Archived 2014-11-08 at the Wayback Machine , 24 Heures
  2. Musée Bolo (2018-02-26), Peter Toth tells the Cora's story, first commercial Swiss computer , retrieved 2019-03-04
  3. Musée Bolo (2018-02-26), Peter Toth and the Cora 1 , retrieved 2019-03-04