Digital Newsletter

This May 1970 issue of the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) newsletter highlights various industrial, medical, and educational applications for their computer systems:

• Medical & Social Applications: A new Clinical Lab-12 system automates laboratory test processing. In psychology, PDP-8/L computers are being used in "token economy" programs at a state hospital to rehabilitate schizophrenic patients and research alcohol treatment. Additionally, a PDP-9 is assisting with postoperative patient monitoring and researching human speech simulation.
• Industrial & Technical Uses: DEC announced a low-cost optical page reader, a limited version of their general-purpose programmable controller (PDP-14/L), and an advanced automatic drafting system (Orthomat Graphic System 4000). A "Design Notebook" section addresses technical challenges in driving current-mode actuators.
• General & Educational News: The newsletter covers the delivery of the 500th DEC computer in the U.K. (a PDP-10), the expansion of a computer programming course for inmates at the New Jersey State Prison, and the use of PDP-8 computers by the Department of the Interior to track Sockeye Salmon in the North Pacific.
• Other Updates: The issue includes details on a new math package for the PDP-15/20, an accounting system for office products distributors, and a traffic light control study.