COMIC: An Analog Computer in the Colorant Industry

Author

Hemmendinger, David

Author_Institution

Union Coll., USA

Volume

36

Issue

3

fYear

2014

fDate

July-Sept. 2014

Firstpage

4

Lastpage

18

Abstract

In 1958, Davidson & Hemmendinger, a small company that made color measurements and standards, introduced the COMIC (Colorant MIxture Computer), the first practical computer for determining a mixture of dyes or paints to match a given sample. An analog computer that solved a set of simultaneous equations, it was replaced within a decade by digital computer programs; nonetheless, it helped bring automation to the colorant industry. This short history-which describes the COMIC and its effect on the colorant industry, and identifies some of its successors-gives context to the COMIC while adding to historians´ knowledge of technology and computing.

Keywords

analogue computers; dyes; paints; COMIC; analog computer; color measurements; color standards; colorant industry automation; colorant mixture computer; digital computer programs; dye mixture; paint mixture; Analog computers; Color; Image color analysis; Industries; Mathematical model; COMIC; Davidson & Hemmendinger; analog computer; colorant industry; computer color matching; history of computing;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Annals of the History of Computing, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1058-6180

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/MAHC.2014.34

Filename

6880243