1972 – Extendable Stiff Arm Manipulator (ESAM) – Marshall Space Flight Center (American)

1.0 INTRODUCTION Teleoperator technology is presently being studied within NASA for on-orbit applications, including assembling of large structures, servicing and retrieval of satellites. The orbital teleoperator program is being conducted by MSFC and is designed to produce a suitable system for a series of Earth Orbital Teleoperator. The orbital teleoperator system will include small dextrous …

1972-5 – Rancho Anthropomorphic Manipulator (RAM) – Rancho Los Amigos Hospital (American)

The Rancho Anthropomorphic Manipulator (RAM) was built to test manipulator arms for use aboard the Space Shuttle. Orthotic manipulator arms. A man in space is relatively helpless in many respects; to perform useful work, he has to have special tools and some kind of assisting control mechanisms. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) has long been …

1948 – GE Master-Slave Manipulator – John Payne (American)

  ↵ 1948 GE Master-Slave Manipulator – John Payne Patent number: 2476249 (see here) Filing date: Nov 24, 1948 Issue date: Jul 1949 MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED, JUNE 1948 Mechanical Hands with Remote Control The village blacksmith of Longfellow may have had "muscles like iron bands," but scientist John Payne of General Electric has done him one better; …

1950 – Remote-control Manipulator – Art Youmans (American)

Several feet away, the operator controls the arm from this chair. It can measure out liquid by the drop.  "Adelbert"—Science's "Right Arm"—Can Even Write Its Name ALTHOUGH it looks more like a dentist's oversized drill, a gentle-acting mechanical arm called "Adelbert" is actually built like the human arm. It has an elbow, shoulder, wrist and …

1997 – Robotic Master-Slave Manipulator – Mark E. Rosheim (American)

Patent number: 5845540 Filing date: Sep 25, 1997 Issue date: Dec 8, 1998 See full patent here. Patent Abstract: A pair of connected joints is provided in a master-slave robotic system each operated by a plurality of force-imparting means. Such force imparting means for the second joint supported on a member controlled by the first …