The “father of the cellphone” is “devastated” when he watches people crossing the street while looking at their phones.
Martin Cooper, a former vice president of Motorola who created the first cellphone in 1973, told the AFP News Agency in an interview, “They are insane.”
“Father of the cellphone” Martin Cooper is “devastated” by pedestrian phone use.
According to the 94-year-old, the possibility of an accident may teach them a lesson.
“They’ll figure it out once a few people were run over by automobiles,” he laughed.
Cooper told the AFP that we are still in the “mindless gazing” period with our mobile devices. According to him, the issue is that people glance at their phones too frequently.
Using a cellphone while crossing the street is obviously risky. 14.4% of pedestrians do not pay attention to traffic when crossing, according to a 2022 research of how pedestrians use their phones. The occurrence was described by the researchers as a “growing road safety hazard.”
Cooper suggested that a car hitting one or two people may teach phone users a lesson.
Cooper’s remark comes 50 years after he made the first mobile phone call from a New York City sidewalk in 1973. In 1984, Motorola produced the world’s first commercial cellphone, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000, a 10-inch, 2.5-pound gadget that was first sold for a stunning $3,995 — or $12,000 today, Cooper told the Chicago Tribune earlier this month, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
Cooper told the Tribune that he did not anticipate the evolution of the cellphone from a primarily talking device to one that could shoot images and movies, order meals, and measure daily steps.
In almost half a century, constant scrolling and screen addiction have become widespread among smartphone users.
Cooper told the AFP that, despite the safety hazards, he is not concerned about the long-term effects of unrestricted smartphone use. He believes that smartphones may increase productivity and enhance the quality of life for its users.
“The smartphone is become an extension of the individual,” he stated.
He said that cellphones may even “fight sickness” and “revolutionize” education and healthcare.
“Every generation will get more intelligent,” he remarked. They will become more proficient in cell phone usage.