Mobile phone inventor is not pleased over its usage. Here's why

Martin Cooper, inventor of the mobile phone, is not pleased with how the device's usage has evolved over the past 50 years since it was first introduced.

Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our daily routine, with most people finding it hard to imagine spending a day without looking at or touching their phones. However, Martin Cooper, the inventor of the mobile phone, is not pleased with how the device's usage has evolved over the past 50 years since it was first introduced.

Martin Cooper.(REUTERS/ArrayComm/Handout)

Cooper, 94, expressed his disappointment in a recent interview noting that he is "devastated" when he sees people crossing the street while looking at their phones, adding that such behaviour is reckless and dangerous.

Despite his concerns, Cooper still believes that the mobile phone has enormous potential to transform society positively. He even suggests that the device could one day help conquer diseases.

As an American engineer dubbed as "Father of the cell phone," Cooper was instrumental in the mass production of the first handheld mobile phone by Motorola on April 3, 1973. He made the first public mobile phone call on a device that weighed 1.1kg.

Cooper uses top end iphone..

Cooper is the co-founder and current Chairman of Dyna LLC, in Del Mar, California. He wears an Apple Watch and uses a top-end iPhone, flicking intuitively between his email, photos, YouTube and the controls for his hearing aid.

Everytime there is an update, he gets his hands on the latest model and gives it a thorough road test. However, he admits that with the sheer volume of apps now available, it can all feel a bit overwhelming. “It can all feel a bit much,” Cooper said.

"I will never, ever understand how to use the cell phone the way my grandchildren and great grandchildren do," he further said.

In addition to his admiration for the communicative capabilities of his iPhone, Cooper has also postulated that mobile phones will eventually be linked to an extensive network of bodily sensors that can identify the presence of illnesses before they fully manifest. As an example, he noted his watch's ability to monitor his heart rate while swimming, and his phone's compatibility with his hearing aids.

See the features of mobile phone when first invented

Despite their exorbitant cost of approximately $5,000 per handset, the first mobile phones were regarded as advantageous by early adopters, including property salespeople, due to their cutting-edge functionality.

It was in late 1972 when Cooper, eager to create a portable device that could be utilized anywhere, utilized the full spectrum of resources available at Motorola to assemble a team of experts in semiconductors, transistors, filters, and antennae.

Working tirelessly around the clock for three months, this team eventually achieved a breakthrough by the end of March, culminating in the unveiling of the Dynamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage (DynaTAC) phone. "This phone weighed over a kilo -- about two and a half pounds -- and had a battery life of roughly 25 minutes of talking," Cooper said.

(With AFP inputs)