a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
New York Times 25 Aug 1910 LIKE AN IRON MAN ————– Legs Take It to Work on Land or Sea, Carrying Tons at a Load. ————— INVENTION HAS BEEN TRIED ————– One of Its Uses is to Give Landing Stages, Doing Away with Necessity of Building Piers. ————– Charles Guest Norris, a prominent English engineer, …
Read More “1909 – “Iron Man” Walking Platform – Piercy (British)”
Richard Lovell Edgeworth (31 May 1744 – 13 June 1817) was an Anglo-Irish politician, writer and inventor. Although most articles suggest Edgeworth invented the Caterpillar track, the description offered below is of another invention he called a Wooden Horse." In order to step over a fence, the legs would have to be lifted quite high. …
Read More “1770 – 8-Legged Walking Wooden Horse – Edgeworth (Irish)”
See video preview here. A second video can be seen here, but you need to create an account and log-in first. Search for "NEW DERBY HOPE" "Tractor Classic", May/June 2004, Vol. 19 #3, pages 25-26. "Blowtorch" currently on display at : Western Development Museum, Moose Jaw Branch – History of Transportation. 50 Diefenbaker Drive Moose …
Read More “1947 – “Blowtorch” Mechanical Horse – W.J. McIntyre (Canadian)”
In 1876, America held its Centennial in Philadelphia. There appears to have been four Steam Men built for the Centennial Exhibition, along with a Mechanical Horse. An American inventor by the name of William Farr Goodwin, had some of his agricultural inventions produced by manufacturers who exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition, The National Iron Works, …
Read More “1876 – Philadelphia Centennial Steam Men – Farr Goodwin (American)”
This wood and brass model with clockwork by Enoch Rice Morrison is a walking mechanism probably very similar to his “Steam Man”. The maker’s name is painted on an upright as is his home town – Bergen, NJ The model is 6.5″ tall. I have now located the patent for this mechanism – see below. Tuapeka Times, Volume III, …