Lou Ottens

Lodewijk Frederik Ottens, known as Lou Ottens, was a Dutch engineer and inventor, best known as the inventor of the cassette tape and for his work in helping to develop the compact disc. Born in Bellingwolde in 1926, he built a secret radio with a directional antenna during the German occupation, studied mechanical engineering at the Delft University of Technology and graduated in 1952. He was employed by Philips for his entire career, and in 1960 became head of product development at the Philips factory in Hasselt, Belgium. There he led development of the first Philips portable tape recorder and then the compact cassette. He died in 2021.