a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
GARCO represents one of the first attempts at an all-purpose functional humanoid robot. Although he had most of his success as an entertainment robot, the inventor, Harvey Chapman Jr., believed he had other uses, such as "taking on a variety of tasks that would prove too dangerous for humans. Mixing the ingredients for TNT is one. …
Above: Images and text are from the book of the German exhibition "Die Roboter Kommen!" 2007. Werberoboter „Roberto", 1950er Jahre Museumsstiftung Post und Telekommunikation Die 1950er Jahre bildeten eine erste Blütezeit der Werberoboter. Unter großer Anteilnahme von Presse und Öffentlichkeit stapften überlebensgroße Blechmänner durch die Straßen, deren technisches Vermögen meist gering war: sie konnten wenig …
AU SALON DE L'AUTOMOBILE, UN ROBOT FAITS LA COUR AUX DAMES C'este un robot qui reçoit les client d'un des stands du Salon de l'Automobile. Il mesur 1m.83 et pèse 83 kg. Il marche; parle, répond aux questions des visiteurs; baisse les yeux; et rougit devant les femmes; mais est très sensible à leur charme …
Robot Cyclist will Ride the Streets. A robot cyclist named Dynamo Joe, capable of propelling himself unaided through the streets has been built by students of Bristol University Engineering Department as the main attraction of the University's Rag Week, which begins Wednesday 28th February 1951. The robot's body is made from a 10-gallon oil drum, …
Edward Chace Tolman (1886 – 1959) was an American psychologist. He was most famous for his studies on behavioral psychology. In my research for the write-up for this post, I found that the introduction to Endo and Arkin's 2000 paper on Implementing Tolman's Sowbug the best. I've reproduced the introduction here, but the full paper …
Read More “1939 – Sowbug Schematic – Edward Chace Tolman (American)”