Builder of the world's first DSP and hardware FFT processor with sufficient speed to allow OFDM modulation, Astrin is an American communications engineer who has worked for Apple Computer, Inc., IBM (where he achieved the 100% club), Siemens, ROLM, Memorex, and Citicorp in technical and management positions, developing several computer and communication systems. At Apple, he assisted in birthing the Wi-Fi industry, delivering the first consumer oriented, wireless solution to the PC industry—AirPort. AirPort is the name given to a series of products by Apple Inc. comprising a number of wireless routers and wireless cards. The AirPort Extreme name was originally intended to signify the addition of the 802.11g protocol to these products. He also created industry compatibility with the Wi-Fi testing compliance with IEEE 802.11 standard.
In 1967 he built the first "bit-slice" architecture computer using TTL technology, for which he received an award from U.S. Navy Captain Grace Hopper. In 1969 Astrin built the world's first DSP and hardware FFT processor with sufficient speed to allow OFDM modulation. He has served as CEO of Astrin Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2008.
He received his Master's Degree in Mathematics from the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), in San Diego, California, and was awarded his Ph.D. E.E. in Communication Engineering in 1984 from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles, California. Astrin has also served as a professor at San José State University (SJSU) in San Jose, California and the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California, teaching Communications and Computer Engineering. Keeping one foot in the academic world has allowed him to work on theoretical engineering problems, such as coexistence of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless communications, as well as mentoring many students into the Silicon Valley industry.
He has served as Chair of the IEEE Information Theory Group in Santa Clara, has been a recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium Medal, and has been a Senior Member of IEEE. Astrin has been a member of Bluetooth SIG and has served as a member of the IEEE 802.11/15 standards committee from 1997. He chaired the Body Area Network Task Group 6 of IEEE 802.15 and holds seven patents with one in process. He also received the IEEE Computer Society's 2011 Hans Karlsson Award: "For leadership and diplomatic skills applied to LAN/MAN wireless personal area network standards; mediating rivalry of corporate entities and personal aspirations by promoting the value of IEEE wireless standards-based approaches."
