Roland Moreno
Roland Moreno (11 June 1945 – 29 April 2012) was a French inventor, engineer, humorist and author who was the inventor of the
Biography
Early life and career
Moreno was born in
Smart card
After leaving Chimie-Actualités, Moreno founded his own company,
The smart chip would prove to be Moreno's most important invention. Moreno claimed to have thought of the smart card concept in a
His original idea was for a
It took approximately eight years for Moreno's smart card to gain widespread use in France due to initial start-up costs. However, the smart card proved a huge success in France in the 1980s, where it became widespread long before other countries. In 1983,
Moreno's smart card, and its increased use, was met with criticism from activists and privacy groups. There were concerns, which continue to the present day, that the smart cards could have security flaws or could be used in illegal surveillance. Moreno recognized and acknowledged these concerns, saying that smart cards "have the potential to become
While Moreno may have lacked international name recognition, his invention made him very wealthy. His company, Innovatron, has made approximately €150m, nearly $192 million, in royalty payments, from the smart card and its licenses.[1] In 2005, Moreno noted, "I can stop anyone on the street in Paris and they'll have at least three smart cards on them.[4]
Other inventions
Moreno was very interested in music, broadcasting and writing. He launched Radio Deliro, a now defunct
Writings, acting and other pursuits
Moreno wrote several books, including Théorie du Bordel Ambiant, a collection of his ideas and reflections. He also authored books under the literary pseudonym Laure Dynateur, including a cookbook entitled L'Aide-Mémoire du Nouveau Cordon-bleu with more than 2,000 recipes.
Despite his recognitions in France, Moreno, who has been variously described as a "nutty professor", once told the
Personal life and later years
Moreno married Stephany Stolin in December 1976; the couple had two daughters, Marianne and Julia, who survive him.[1] He died in Paris on 29 April 2012, at the age of 66. He had previously suffered a pulmonary embolism in 2008.[2]
Moreno was known to be notoriously homophobic,[5] which he actively defended in online political discussions.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Schofield, Jack (30 April 2012). "Roland Moreno obituary, Smart-card inventor who missed out on global recognition but was a hero in France". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Davison, Phil (4 May 2012). "Roland Moreno: Inventor who missed out on global recognition for his computer chip smart card". The Independent. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ Radio France International. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
- ^ "Le mariage: une question quand même simple".
External links
- Roland Moreno at IMDb