a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
Above Photo by Chris Shute A Meccano machine to read your palm. Built in 5 months from mostly modern Meccano parts and 13 salvaged motors. All 24 electrical switches and the 32 – step Sequencer are made from Meccano. Mystic Mec will choose an almost 'random' letter to hint at your future. Working eyelids, index …
Read More “2011 – “Mystic Mec” Meccano Automaton – Chris Shute (British)”
The Robot Garguantua. gar·gan·tu·a -n. A person of great size or stature and of voracious physical or intellectual appetites. [After the giant hero of Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais.] Like most, including myself, the true significance is lost in the title ("An Automatic Block-Setting Crane") and opening description of the original article published globally in …
Read More “1937 – The Robot Gargantua – “Bill” Griffith P. Taylor – (Australian/Canadian)”
Meccano model of GE's Walking Truck designed by Hugh Henry. All legs are completely rotatable in the same direction. For a complete set of images see the NZ Meccano web site here. Thanks Antonio Gual for encouraging Tony Brown (the author of the Modelplan) who found some pictures of Hugh Henry's original. (Has anyone built …
LONDON – ALL SET FOR SANTA aka CHRISTMAS TOY FAIR Meccano promotional robot at the1965 Christmas Toy Fair, London. The robot's head turns, ears spin, eye lights flash, mouth opens and closes, chest lights flash, each arm can move up and down and the head's antenna rotates. It appears that one leg may move, and the …
Les amateurs de « zoologie » électronique sont aujourd'hui légion. Ici, une « tortue » réalisée par le chercheur belge André[sic] Delsemme et qui, comme ses consoeurs, est capable d'apprentissage (arch. ph. Boulanger/Ministère de l'Éducation nationale — Service Cinématographique, Bruxelles). English Translation The amateurs of electronic “zoology” are now legion. Here, a “cybernetic tortoise” made …
Read More “1964 – Cybernetique Tortue (Cybernetic Tortoise) – Armand Delsemme (Belgian)”