Otis Boykin

Otis Frank Boykin (August 29, 1920 – March 26, 1982) was an American inventor and engineer. His inventions include electrical resistors used in computing, missile guidance, and pacemakers.

Early life

Otis Boykin was born on August 29, 1920, in Dallas, Texas. His father, Walter B. Boykin, was a carpenter, and later became a preacher. His mother, Sarah, was a maid, who died of heart failure when Otis was a year old. This inspired him to help improve the pacemaker. He attended Fisk University

In 1946–1947, he studied at Illinois Institute of Technology, but dropped out after two years; some sources say it was because he could not afford his tuition, but he later stated he left for an employment opportunity and did not have time to return to finish his degree. In the early 1960s, Boykin was a senior project engineer at the Chicago Telephone Supply Corporation, later known as CTS Labs. It was here that he did much of his pacemaker research. But Boykin subsequently sued CTS for $5 million, asserting that his former employer had obtained a patent and tried to take credit for the device that he developed.

After the suit was eventually dismissed, and his career at CTS had ended, he opened his own consulting and research company, with offices in both the US and Paris, France.

Legacy

Boykin patented as many as 26 devices. He is best known for inventing multiple different electronic control devices in guided missiles, IBM computers, and in the pacemaker. One of his early inventions was an improved wire resistor, which had reduced inductance and reactance, due to the physical arrangement of the wire.

Other notable inventions include a variable resistor used in guided missiles. His most famous invention was likely a control unit for the artificial cardiac pacemaker. The device essentially uses electrical impulses to maintain a regular heartbeat. Among his other inventions is a burglar-proof cash register.