Ferranti MRT

[4] While it is difficult to imagine the context of this product development in the late seventies, it is useful to remember that the IBM PC (which has brought the Windows desktops and laptops that are now commonplace) was only introduced on 12 August 1981.

A merger in 1989 with the American "International Signal & Control Group" (ISC), led to Ferranti going into bankruptcy in December 1994.

The MRT is a battery-operated, hand-held, data-capture terminal, which is an electronic replacement for the clipboard and pencil used for gathering information from consumers.

This innovation offers real advantages for survey research, due to easier processing, since data is stored electronically, it is already in a form which can be directly entered into a computer.

"[5] Perhaps the only thing to add to Deborah Martell’s description was that the MRT supported the easy transmission of collected data through telephone lines using a portable modem which, at the time, was cutting edge technology.