Marie Van Brittan Brown created an early version of the modern home security system. The system was developed to alleviate some safety concerns in the neighborhood Brown lived in.

The system included a motorized camera to record her home entryway and project images onto a TV monitor and a two-way microphone to communicate with guests without opening the door. There was also a panic button to notify police of any emergencies straight from the home.

These items created a closed-circuit television system for surveillance, which is also called CCTV. The sliding camera had multiple peepholes which were able to capture people of different heights. The system also included a remote control that would allow her to unlock the door from a distance.

Brown was born in 1922 in Jamaica, Queens, New York. She was a nurse by trade and her husband, Albert Brown, was an electronics technician.

Their design for the security system was inspired due to the irregular hours Brown and her husband worked. As a nurse, Brown often worked long hours and would return home late. Feeling vulnerable in a high crime neighborhood, Brown came up with the idea of a security system that would show visitors at the door.

Brown and her husband received a patent for the invention in 1969. The invention won an award from the National Scientists Committee and was recognized by the New York Times.

Brown passed away in 1999, but her legacy lives on. Her creation was cited in 32 subsequent patent applications. Her system is still in use today by businesses and homes around the world.