W. Grey Walter, Edmund C. Berkeley, Ivan E. Sutherland and the Tortoise

Who is Ivan E. Sutherland? Ivan was born in 1938, Nebraska, USA and is a computer pioneer, inventing Sketchpad, being the first what we now call a Graphical User Interface (GUI). He also built a walking machine, but that will be the subject to another post later. As an under-graduate student, Ivan, with his elder brother …

1950-1 – Squee – Edmund C. Berkeley et al (American)

Although Squee the electronic squirrel is attributed to Edmund C. Berkeley, Jack Koff (City College of New York engineering student) and Robert "Bob" A. Jensen (until he re-entered the Air Force in June 1951), William Szabo and ECB are all credited with its construction. The opening page from Radio-Electronics mag [Dec, 1951] offers some more info –  "Why …

1950 – Cybercar Toy – Leblic/Hatchette – French

 This toy was available for purshase in France in 1950 by the French Hatchette toy company. It was invented by Jacques Maurice Robert  Leblic and the French patent 998,830 was granted on 26 September 1951. The bumper-bar at either end operates a reversing switch for the drive motor. When a lamp is shone on the photo-electric cell, …