Description

Sonar engineer and founder of Klein Associates; introduced first viable commercial sidescan sonar

Martin Klein developed the first commercially viable sidescan sonar system. He began his career as a student at MIT, studying sonar and the processing of returning sound signals in a lab run by Professor Harold “Doc” Edgerton. After graduating in 1962, Klein became a program manager at Edgerton’s firm, Edgerton, Germeshausen & Grier (later, EG&G, Inc.), working on developing a sonar system that could create a picture of a swath of seabed.

In 1969, Klein left EG&G to found his own firm, Klein Associates. Over the next few decades, Klein and Klein Associates remained leaders in the sidescan sonar field, developing and producing a series of ever-improved sonar systems. In addition to technical development, Klein worked to create markets for the new technology. These eventually included mapping, energy and telecommunication work, accident investigation, and underwater archaeology. Klein sold Klein Associates in 1989, shortly after overseeing the switch to digital devices, but has remained active in the field. Among other honors, he is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a life member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.