Dr. Amar Bose showed an interest in electronics at a very young age. At 13, he started a radio repair service in his basement after school. The business helped support his family during World War II, and grew to be one of the largest of its kind in Philadelphia.
His passion for technology continued at MIT, where he earned Bachelor, Master and Doctoral degrees in Electrical Engineering. While a student, he bought a speaker and disappointed in its performance, he began studying acoustics and psychoacoustics (the human perception of sound) all while teaching in India on a Fulbright scholarship.
In 1956, Dr. Bose was drafted to teach at MIT. His approach was radically different, with a focus on thinking, not formulas. Dedicated to his students, he taught his popular acoustics course until 2001, and has been credited with revolutionizing the school’s teaching of undergraduate Electrical Engineering.
His research at MIT led to the development of new, patented technologies. With those patents, he founded Bose Corp. in 1964, and achieved international acclaim with the introduction of the 901 Direct/Reflecting® speaker system in 1968.
Dr. Bose credits much of the company's success to its private ownership. Under his leadership as chairman and technical director, 100 percent of profits are reinvested in the company's growth, development and broad research initiatives. Speaking of his Corp., Dr. Bose says, "I never went into business to make money. I went into business so that I could do interesting things that hadn't been done before."
The list of major technologies emerging from Bose Corp. continues to grow. Award-winning products such as Lifestyle® home entertainment systems and Wave® music systems have reshaped conventional thinking about the relationship between an audio system’s size and complexity and the quality of sound it produces. Noise-reducing headphones and customized sound systems for vehicles and public spaces also have been developed through the company's steadfast pursuit of research.
Bose Corp. also has applied its expertise to areas, including switching power amplification, biomedical testing equipment, and its latest breakthrough – a suspension system that combines superior comfort and control in the same vehicle.