Cyril Hilsum, the British physicist who helped advance the technology behind liquid crystal displays, has died at 101. His work contributed to the development of the flat-panel screens used in televisions, laptops and smartphones, including iPhones.
Televisions were once bulky, heavy appliances that could weigh more than 500 pounds and dominate a room. During the 1960s, electronics executives and government regulators sought ways to reduce their size and power consumption. Defense officials also supported the effort, seeking smaller radar displays.
At the Royal Radar Establishment, a government research center, Hilsum led a team working on key materials and technologies for liquid crystal displays. The research helped lay the groundwork for screens that could replace the large, space-consuming television sets of the era.
Hilsum was known as an energetic physicist with untamed white hair and a resemblance to Albert Einstein. J. Cliff Jones, a physicist formerly affiliated with the University of Leeds, described him as exceptionally intelligent and compared his abilities with those associated with Einstein.
Sources: The New York Times Science.