The invention of Bluetooth is credited to Jaap Haartsen, a Dutch electrical engineer who developed the technology while working at Ericsson in the 1990s. Haartsen laid the groundwork for Bluetooth wireless technology that enables short-range radio connections between various devices. The foundational technology behind WiFi has roots in the invention by Hedy Lamarr, a Hollywood actress and inventor, who co-created a frequency-hopping spread spectrum technique with composer George Antheil during World War II. This invention was initially intended for secure torpedo guidance and later became a basis for wireless communication technologies including WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS. In summary:
- Bluetooth was invented by Jaap Haartsen in the early 1990s.
- WiFi's precursor technology was invented by Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil in the 1940s, pioneering frequency hopping and spread spectrum communication.
Both contributed fundamentally to modern wireless communication but in different eras and contexts. Haartsen's work was more directly on Bluetooth, while Lamarr's innovation laid groundwork for WiFi and related technologies.
