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 …

1978 – Pneumatic Inflatable End Effector – Keith Clark (American)

Above: Keith Clark demonstrates his design for an innovative end effector which would inflate inside, and so grip, a tubular truss structure. Back in 1978, another type of end effector under study for the Space Shuttle's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) was actually a balloon. The sort of aluminium truss beams proposed for use in space construction …