Computer science development of sophisticated computing equipment. Wilhelm Schickard designed and constructed the first working mechanical calculator in 1623. In 1673, Gottfried Leibniz demonstrated a digital mechanical calculator, called the Stepped Reckoner. He may be considered the first computer scientist and information theorist, for, among other reasons, documenting the binary number system. In 1820, Thomas de Colmar launched the mechanical calculator industry when he released his simplified arithmometer, which was the first calculating machine strong enough and reliable enough to be used daily in an office environment. Charles Babbage started the design of the first "automatic mechanical calculator", his Difference Engine, in
William Robinson (inventor) Automatic Electric and Electrically Controlled Fluid Pressure Signal Systems for Railroads" (1906). Robinson was a Fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and an esteemed member of the Signal Section of the American Railway Association. Robinson died on January 2, 1921, in Brooklyn. William Robinson (inventor) William Robinson (1840–1921) was an American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer and businessman. He invented the first track circuit used in railway signaling, a major development that improved railroad safety and efficiency. William Robinson was born in Ireland on November 22, 1840. He came to the United States as a boy and lived