1967 CS-16A IC Calculator

Sharp was the first company in the world to develop an MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) integrated circuit—a technology that was considered unstable at the time—for use in consumer products. This technology enabled a drastic reduction in the number of parts in an electronic calculator. The CS-16A was the world's first MOS-IC calculator to be mass-produced and was one of the electronic calculators for which Sharp was honored in December 2005 by the IEEE^*1, a worldwide electrical and electronics engineering society, with an IEEE Milestone.^*2

• *1:Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) The IEEE (pronounced "Eye-triple-E") is the world's largest non-profit, technical professional association of electrical and electronics engineers. Through its more than 377,000 individual members in approximately 150 countries worldwide, the IEEE plays a leading role in technical areas ranging from computer engineering, electronics, and telecommunications, to electric power, aerospace engineering, and biomedical technology, among others.
• *2:The IEEE established the IEEE Milestone program in 1983 to honor significant achievements in the history of electrical and electronics engineering that have contributed to the betterment of society. Currently there are more than 65 Milestones around the world, including Volta's Electrical Battery Invention and the Fleming Valve. In Japan, the Directive Short Wave ("Yagi") Antenna (1995), the Mount Fuji Radar System (2000), the Tokaido Shinkansen ("Bullet Train") (2000), and the Electronic Quartz Wristwatch (2004) have been recognized. Sharp's electronic desktop calculator was the fifth IEEE Milestone in Japan.