"The Little Ranger," a mobile remote handler, extends man's reach and dexterity into radioactive, explosive or other danger zones "off limits" to humans. Monitored by TV or viewed through a shielding window, "The Little Ranger" can manipulate 50 lb. loads, reach up to 8 feet, tow an 850-pound weight, and turn on its axis. The platform 1 …
Gernsback, Hugo "The Teledoctor", Television, Feb. 1955 pp. 22-24. Hugo Gernsback's 1954 solution to the doctor shortage was the ultimate in bringing the patient to the overworked physician: an updated version of the 1924 Radio Doctor called the "Teledoctor." Delivered to your front door on a rental plan, this melding of television and diagnostics …
American manned lunar rover. Study 1989. MOSAP (MObile Surface APplication traverse vehicle) was the pressurized lunar rover that was the key to NASA’s 90-Day-Study moon base concept of 1989. It would greatly extend the range of manned lunar expeditions. MOSAP had a maximum range of 3000 km with a nominal speed of 10 kph. MOSAP …
1983 M.I.T. Beam Assembly Teleoperator (BAT) The SSL was founded in 1976 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its early studies in space construction techniques eventually led to the EASE (Experimental Assembly of Structures in EVA) flight experiment which flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-61B in late 1985. EASE was designed to evaluate the ability …
Lunar Construction Vehicle with manipulator arms. Above image from “The Next 50 Years on the Moon”, 1974. NASA Study Summary: “Project Horizon, Vol 2, Technical Considerations and Plans” Here’s a big study from 1959, done by the US Army, right about the time NASA was just becoming a going concern. There was a lot of …