Engineer Lester. H. Waechter stands next to a Mobot, a type of robot manufactured by the Hughes Aircraft Company for use in areas too hazardous for humans to work in. Fullerton, California.
Remotely Controlled MOBOT* (Mobile Robot) system manufactured by Hughes Aircraft Company, Fullerton, Calif., for the Atomic Energy Division of the Phillips Petroleum Company, is sent through final checkout before recent delivery to the National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho. The testing facility is operated by Phillips for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. The vehicle, built to specifications of Phillips, will perform cleanup operations following safety tests that may result in reactor destruction. It will also be available to other reactor sites where a nuclear incident might preclude entry of personnel. All control commands from operator's console (left) are carried through a single control cable which allows the vehicle to rove up to 500 feet away from the operating console in performing its work. Special "wobble switches" on console panel control all action.
Still shot of cameraman taking film of Mobot in action.
Wow, thanks for posting that. Lester H. Waechter was my dad, and I saw that robot at the Hughes plant when I was about 9 or 10 years old.