Anwar Chitayat


Anwar Chitayat is an Iraqi-American manufacturer. He founded the Anorad Corporation, a company acquired by Rockwell Automation in 1998.
Chitayat's work focuses on linear motor technology and high-performance positioning systems.

Early life

Chitayat was born on August 21, 1927, in Baghdad, Iraq. He was raised with six siblings in a low-income household. He was awarded a scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering in the United States. He received simultaneous B.Sc. degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Denver in 1951, and an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1952, now known as the New York University Tandon School of Engineering. When Anwar’s family moved to Israel, he chose to remain in the U.S. as a displaced person. In 1952, Chitayat joined the U.S. Army for two years and was stationed in Alaska, servicing the U.S. DEW Line. He became a U.S. citizen shortly after leaving the U.S. Army.

Education

  • B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, University of Denver.
  • B.Sc. Electrical Engineering, University of Denver.
  • M.Sc. Electrical Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn,.

    Anorad Corporation

Chitayat founded the Anorad Corporation from his basement in Plainview, New York in 1972. Anorad is an acronym derived from "Anwar's Own Research and Development".

Notable patents and discoveries

High speed with high-precision manufacturing

Chitayat has contributed towards work in linear motor technology and its applications in high-performance positioning systems.

Nanotechnology and laser interferometers

Chitayat held over thirty patents related to the measurement and manufacturing of extra small components, including those as small as a nanometer. Achieving this small size required the development of new technologies using interferometry for measurement, nanopositioning motors, and stages. Interferometers manufacture and measure semiconductors by using the wavelength of light as a measuring stick. Length and angles were measured using small fractions of laser light waves.
Chitayat began working on nanotechnology in the 1960s when it had little practical value. Later, these technologies became necessary for the manufacture of microprocessors and semiconductors and now serve as a basis for computers, phones, and other electronic products.

Fiber optics

Chitayat was awarded 4 patents for the use of fiber optics in imaging, including techniques for image enhancement. One of these systems was used in the Apollo program to monitor the rocket engines. Optical lenses were placed near the rocket engines, and the fiber optics transmitted images remotely to human monitors and cameras.

Satellite and star trackers

Chitayat's first invention was a light-modulating scanner, which enabled Kollsman Instruments to manufacture a star tracking system for use in moonlit conditions, twilight, and daylight. This daylight star tracker was used to navigate airplanes and ships by determining their precise location using the latitude and longitude of the stars. This system is now obsolete due to the introduction of GPS.

Awards and recognition

Chitayat'swork on the Brushless Linear Motor was recognized by SEMI in 2000. In 1997, Chitayat received the "Entrepreneur of the Year" award from Ernst and Young. He was inducted into the Long Island Hall of Fame in 2009 for his contributions to science and technology.

Personal life

Chitayat has married three times and has two daughters with his first wife, Deanna: Mara and Aimee. Deanna Chitayat holds a PhD in Experimental Psychology and served as a Dean of Hofstra University.