The first models were marketed in 1971 but it was the Intel 8008, released in 1972, that was noticed by a handful of computer engineers who sensed the coming revolution.So he decided to roll the dice: the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRA, National Institute of Agronomic Research) was looking for a machine able to measure the temperature and humidity in fields.During a meeting, Mr. Gernelle did not offer to use the very popular PDP-8 minicomputer, but rather a brand-new machine designed around the 8008 processor and which was half as expensive."We worked in a cellar in Châtenay-Malabry [Paris region] for about 18 hours a day," he said in retrospect.It was "the least powerful [but] most reliable computer" on the market, François Gernelle said retrospectively."