Bernard D. Steinberg, engineer and professor

Bernard D. Steinberg, 82, an engineer and professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, died Wednesday at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania of an apparent heart attack or stroke.

For nearly three decades, Dr. Steinberg was director of Penn's Valley Forge Research Center, where he developed the radio camera. The camera's technology, which has military applications, was based on microwave technology. It was superior to radar, which uses radio waves, in that rather than presenting electronic beeps, its readout offered images. Furthermore, it has a longer range than radar.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., he was 16 when he graduated from high school, his family said. He studied engineering at Purdue University in Indiana for a year before enlisting in the Army during World War II. He was stationed in Oak Ridge, Tenn., where he monitored core samples of uranium for the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb.

After his discharge from the Army, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1949.

Afterward, he worked in research and development at Philco Corp. in Philadelphia. In 1951, he cofounded General Atronics, a communications technology company based in Montgomery County.

He sold the company to Magnavox in 1971. By then he had earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and he joined Penn's faculty that year.

In 1979, Dr. Steinberg cofounded Interspec Inc., a medical imaging and research company based in Philadelphia. The company was sold in the 1990s.

He was the author of three books on high-resolution radar imaging and held several patents in radar and electronics. He received a medal from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for his contributions to radar.

After retiring from Penn in 2000, Dr. Steinberg studied the history of ancient Israel and lectured at local synagogues on Judaic topics. He also was interested in the theater, art, culture and politics.

He is survived by his wife of two years, Barbara Block; sons Harris, Geoffrey and Lowell; a daughter, Emily; and seven grandchildren. His first wife, Jacqueline R. Steinberg, died in 2003 after 55 years of marriage.

A funeral will be at noon today at Joseph Levine & Son, 7112 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. Burial will be in Shalom Memorial Park, Philadelphia.