1951 – La Tortue Cybernetique (Cybernetic Tortoise) – Paul-Alain Amouriq (French)

In late 1951, Paul-Alain Amouriq, a Frenchman then aged 17, built a cybernetic tortoise inspired by Grey Walter's as published in a French science magazine Science et Vie (February 1951). Several years later Science et Vie became aware of Amouriq's tortue, and Pierre de Latil visited him and the subsequent article was published in the March …

1950-1 – Squee – Edmund C. Berkeley et al (American)

Although Squee the electronic squirrel is attributed to Edmund C. Berkeley, Jack Koff (City College of New York engineering student) and Robert "Bob" A. Jensen (until he re-entered the Air Force in June 1951), William Szabo and ECB are all credited with its construction. The opening page from Radio-Electronics mag [Dec, 1951] offers some more info –  "Why …

W. Grey Walter, I.B.M., Charles Eames & The Tortoise

Why are all these names together in a post title? Well, one of the 1951 batch of 6 tortoises was sent off to a museum. Actually, is was on loan to Charles Eames (yes, the same Eames who was a designer, amongst other things) who was contracted to design and mount an exhibition for the …

W. Grey Walter and the Festival of Britain (1951)

The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition which opened in London and around Britain on 3 May 1951 and finished the end of September the same year. At that time, shortly after the end of World War II, much of London was still in ruins and redevelopment was badly needed. The Festival was an …