Copy of original artwork. Labyrinth scene with Humongous: Excerpt from Inside the Labyrinth: Check Youtube for clips on "The Making of the Labyrinth". The text for Inside the Labyrinth documentary was originally transcribed by Stephanie Massick. JIM HENSON: "It seemed like right late in the story what we wanted was for our heroes to come …
Read More “1986 – “Humongous” (Labyrinth) – Jim Henson (American) / George Gibbs (British)”
"Psycho" at the Museum of Science, London. (Image source: Mechanical Toys – Charles Bartholomew) My intent in putting up this entry is to draw attention on the aspect of remote control by which the slave component is anthropomorphic. This fits in with the early history of teleoperators and manipulators. All other aspects of "Psycho" are well …
Read More “1875 “Psycho” the Whist-playing Automaton – Maskelyne & Clarke (British)”
John Gaughan's version of "The Turk" Like my post on Maskelyne's "Psycho" and "Zoe" automatons, the interest here is its place in history in terms of remote master-slave manipulators, and I shall confine myself to just that. There is significant other matter on "The Turk" published elsewhere already. Well established as a fake contrivance [pseudo automaton, faux (false) automaton], …
Read More “1770 – “The Turk” Chess Automaton – Wolfgang von Kempelen (Hungarian)”
My initiial intention with this posting was to show "Zoe" as an example of an early Anthropomorphic mechanical master-slave manipulator as well as being a drawing machine. What is presented are some images and illustrations of John Nevil Maskelyne's "Zoe", and an operational description of what could be "Zoe", but nevertheless a contemporary suggestion of how a …
Read More “1877 – “Zoe” the Drawing Automaton – John Nevil Maskelyne (British)”
Modern Mechanix Nov, 1931 Video Lady Robot Used to Write Window Display Advertising IN THIS mechanical age machinery is being substituted for human beings in every possible and conceivable situation. One of the latest and most unique pieces of machinery to be put to use to supplant human agency is the almost human advertising contrivance, …
Read More “1929 – Writing Robot – (American? / German?)”