Emik Avakian

Emik Avakian (; August 15, 1923 – July 11, 2013) was an Armenian American inventor and owner of numerous patents including breath-operated computer, a mechanism that facilitates putting wheelchairs on automobiles, and a self operating robotic wheel that converts manual wheel chairs into automatic. Many of his inventions were geared towards the improvement of disabled people's lives, and he won many awards recognizing these efforts.

Life Of Armenian descent, Emik Avakian was born in Tabriz, Persia in 1924. In order to seek medical assistance for Emik, the Avakian family traveled from Persia, to Russia, to Germany, and finally settled in New York City. By the age of thirteen, Emik was already fixing many electrical engineering problems around the household.

Another significant invention was the "information retrieval and storage apparatus," which was a machine that could display library and archive information more quickly than other methods.

Awards In 1961, President of the United States John F. Kennedy honored Avakian for his outstanding contributions to handicap employment. Eminent Engineer Award (1979) Armenian Bicentennial Committee's "Excellence in the Field of Science Award" (1976) Shah of Iran Crown Medal (1963) Honorary Doctorate Award of Eureka College (1996) Energy Projecting and Scanning Apparatus United States Patent no. 3,283,147, filed date: May 9, 1962, issued date: Nov. 1, 1966. Apparatus and System for Interconnecting Circuits and Electronic Components United States Patent no. 3,880,486 filed date: Mar. 5, 1973 issued date: Apr. 2, 1975. Data Entry Devices United States Patent no. 4,077,036, filed Aug 30, 1976, issued Feb 28, 1978. Method of and Apparatus for Motorizing Manually Powered Vehicles United States Patent no. 5,186,269, filed date: Nov 7, 1991, issued date: Feb 16, 1993. Drive System for Wheelchairs or the like United States Patent no. 5,427,193, filed date: Apr. 19, 1993, issued date: Jun 27, 1995. Vehicle Loading System United States Patent no. 5,242,257, filed date Nov. 8, 1991, issued date: Sep. 7, 1993. Flow Control System and Restrictor for use therein United States Patent no. 4,372,304, filed date: Oct 15, 1980, issue date: Feb 8, 1983.