London: American physicist, Stanford R. Ovshinsky, who designed the battery used in hybrid cars, has died at the age of 89 after suffering from prostate cancer.
The electronics field of ovonics was named after Ovshinsky, who owned over 200 patents and has been described as a ‘[Thomas] Edison of our age’.
He introduced the idea of "glass transistors" in 1968, which paved the way for modern flat-screen monitors.
According to the BBC, he received various honorary degrees and awards but had no formal education after high school.
He claimed to have taught himself science by using the public libraries of Ohio where he grew up, the report said.
He and his first wife Iris set up a firm called Energy Conversion Devices.
The firm specialises in manufacturing the nickel-metal hydride batteries he designed, which are still used in hybrid vehicles.
ANI
