a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
In the Cute Fun Album for 1953, the story 'Champion Robot' by E R James features totally enclosed eight foot high powered suits for use on farms and in factories. The hero robot 'Creakyfoot' belongs to a boy, Andrew, who climbs through a door in its back into 'the soft cushioned space inside. Creakyfoot …
Read More “1953 – “Creakyfoot” Power Suit – E.R. James (British)”
Thursday; 14 October 1971 Naval Anthropomorphic Teleoperator (NAT) developed by MBAssociates, San Ramon, California, under a joint Navy-NASA-AEC contract. Slave arm and 3-D TV system mounted on Tripod. Exoskeleton master controller worn by operator (Donald F. Adamski) to the right in the photograph. Naval Anthropomorphic Teleoperator (NAT) The kinematic arrangement is shown in Figure 3.2.2-7(c)[not …
Read More “1971 – Naval Anthropomorphic Teleoperator (“NAT”) – Adamski (American)”
Although inspired by Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" that had infantrymen wearing "power suits" that surround their bodies and amplify their movements, most of the Gundam mobile suits were of the "driveable robot" tradition, where operators sat in cockpits and manipulated levers and pedals. The Gundam concept was developed in 1978, with the TV series first …
Read More “1978-9 – Mobile Suit Gundam (Fiction) – Yoshiyuki Tomino (Japanese)”
Shown above is the original three legged walking machine. Contrary to above caption, the 3-legged walker was developed in 1971. Van Derhei, Jack (ed.) / The Wisconsin engineer Volume 77, Number 2 (November 1972) Sanborn, Steve Everyone should walk, pp. 8-9 During the 1971 Engineering Exposition people on this campus were exposed for the first time …
Read More “1971 – 3-legged Walker – Grundmann & Seireg (American)”
SAM, a mobile manipulator, mimics the movements of an operator stationed at a far-distant control center. The Self-propelled Anthropomorphic Manipulator (SAM) that wears NASA logos was developed under Edwin Johnsen's direction in 1969 by the now defunct Space Nuclear Propulsion division of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Johnsen is credited with introducing the popular term …
Read More “1969 – Self-propelled Anthropomorphic Manipulator (SAM) – Edwin Johnsen (American)”