a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
"Road Runner", the walking, running legged scooter, was shown at the 1996 annual Idea Olympics sponsored by the Toyota Engineers Society (TES) and held in Tokyo City, Japan. It won the Silver prize, also called the humor award. Gear wheels and a crank drive 4 feet. I want one!
Robots on your doorstep (a book about thinking machines) Nels Winkless, Iben Browning – 1978 – 178 pages Yogi is Smarter than the Average Bear …It is not widely remembered that Man has been the standard draft animal for most of "historical" times, quite apart from prehistory. Only very late in the game, during the …
Read More “1956c – “Dog-Mobile” Dog-controlled Walking Truck (Concept) – Iben Browning (American)”
Shown above is the original three legged walking machine. Contrary to above caption, the 3-legged walker was developed in 1971. Van Derhei, Jack (ed.) / The Wisconsin engineer Volume 77, Number 2 (November 1972) Sanborn, Steve Everyone should walk, pp. 8-9 During the 1971 Engineering Exposition people on this campus were exposed for the first time …
Read More “1971 – 3-legged Walker – Grundmann & Seireg (American)”
Automata A modern piece of elephant automata. Ducamps automata made for Barnum. The above automaton, by Decamps, shows further articulation in the legs, offering a 'knee' action. Martinet elephant clock c1790. See youtube video clip here and here . Walkindg model elephant made from Meccano.
Ice show with elephant. Popular Mechanics March 1947 "Then there's Dumbo, the two-man elephant that shambles across the ice on the skates of Ole Ericsen and Jim Hutchinson. Ericsen wears football shoulder pads to support the head and trunk and guides himself by peering through small windows in the cloth head. Hutchinson brings up the …