France Rode: Slovenian Engineer, HP-35 Contributor and RFID Pioneer

Work on the HP‑35

Rode was one of four lead engineers assigned to the HP‑35 project at Hewlett‑Packard. The HP‑35, introduced in the early 1970s, is widely regarded as the first successful scientific pocket calculator, capable of performing transcendental functions in a hand‑held form factor and helping to make slide rules obsolete for many professionals. Rode’s contribution was part of a multidisciplinary effort that combined miniaturized circuitry, numeric algorithms, display and power management — all critical to creating a reliable pocket instrument.

RFID innovation and patents

Beyond calculators, Rode is credited with inventing and implementing some of the first workable radio‑frequency identification (RFID) products intended for workplace access control. These early systems used small transponders or cards and a reader to permit secure entry without mechanical keys. Rode’s work in this area led to multiple patents and helped establish design patterns for later contactless identification and access technologies that are now common in security, logistics and payment systems.

Notable contributions

• Engineering leadership on an early handheld scientific calculator that influenced portable computing.
• Development of practical RFID entry cards and reader systems for workplace security.
• Translating laboratory prototypes into manufacturable products with commercial impact.

Life and legacy

Although details of his full biographical and academic background are not widely published in popular sources, Rode’s legacy is preserved through the products and patents that reflect a career at the intersection of electronic design and applied innovation. He died on 7 June 2017 at the age of 82. Today his work is remembered as part of the broader story of how compact electronics and contactless identification evolved from research projects into everyday technologies.