SOCI 235 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Death Ray, Facilitated Communication
8 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
SOCI 235 – Technology and Society
Generation of New Technology 4.0: The Organization of R&D – September 25th
In development of computer, and software to use it – universities in the US provided both
research and a link that facilitated communication between military and commercial users
• Military and computer industries met between university links
• Communication about what the technology might do and the advantages/disadvantages
of this
Development of Radar in the UK
• During WW11, an obvious interest in the detection of enemy aircraft or ships
• By the time war broke out:
o 1. An accumulation of scientific knowledge on radio echoes developed, and
o 2. There was soe disussio of the possiility of death rays – idea was these
radio waves that might stop an aircraft engine
• Government Radio Research Station – British Air Ministry enquired whether such a
death ray was feasible (radio-echoes), answer was no, but reply was accompanied by an
inquiry on whether the ministry might be interested in using radio waves to locate
aircraft
o Acted as a broker between the firm, military, and the university center
• This lead to a research program:
o 1. Research on radar at the government radio research station
o 2. Recruitment of university scientists to strengthen the research at the station
o 3. Contracts with private firms to develop equipment
• 1940s – a workable radar system had been developed
• Germany at the time:
o By 1939 had accumulated a track record of research on radar
o Decision was made in 1939 that results were not sufficiently promising, so
research was suspended, then started up again a year later
▪ When it restarted, it was organized with a Plenipotentiary for High
Frequency Techniques, transacting with a) the air ministry and, b) the
research institutions
• Air ministry and research institutions – the communications
associated with this were non-existent – absence of horizontal
communication
• This arrangement produced little success, why?
o Because interposition of the Plenipotentiary between researchers and ultimate
users produced poorer communication so that:
▪ 1. Needs of the air ministry were less effectively communicated to the
researchers
▪ 2. Potentials of new technology were less effectively communicated to
the Air ministry
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
