Early portable computers were 26-pound sewing machine-sized beasts. The Grid Compass, however, was truly a breakthrough in mobile computing, with a 12-pound weight and unique fold-over display that made the device more compact. NASA and the military were the primary users of these $8,150 laptops. (With its magnesium case, the durable Grid Compass even made it into space!)

Laptops have been since the Grid Compass was released in 1982 but, in the three decades since then, the basic form hasnt changed very much from Moggridges original conception. Thats the sign of a true design genius.

Moggridge won the United Kingdoms oldest design award, the Prince Philip Designers Prize, in 2010 for the Grid Compass. He was also named a Royal Designer for Industry and won the 2009 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement.

From 2010 until his death from cancer on September 8, 2012, the British designer was the director of the Smithsonians Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. The Moggridge enhanced its profile as one of the worlds leading authorities on the role of design in everyday life and develop and present exhibitionsboth real and virtual.