This was the beginning, but the technology is still in its infancy. The transition of power system protection from electromechanical and static techniques to digital can best be described as an evolution of computer hardware, concepts, and algorithms. The original concept of using a computer to protect power lines can be traced to George Rockefeller's master's thesis back in 1969. Starting around 1970, Westinghouse (yes, they used to make relays) started a research project to demonstrate the ability of a computer to capture waveform data, process it, and make a decision. More