Meccano model of GE's Walking Truck designed by Hugh Henry. All legs are completely rotatable in the same direction. For a complete set of images see the NZ Meccano web site here. Thanks Antonio Gual for encouraging Tony Brown (the author of the Modelplan) who found some pictures of Hugh…
On July 28, 1950, Frank Stuart gave his first public outing of his man-made walking elephant, walking the roads of Essex with a load of children in its howdah. This robot "Jumbo" is the remarkable invention by Mr. Frank Stuart, a theatrical mask maker and scenic artist. About two years earlier,…
From Robots and Telechirs - M.W. Thring 1983 Thring has used the fact that the ideal foot movement is close to that of a link of a chain going around two sprockets to produce a very simple walking mechanism for a tractor. A small model is shown in above. There…
Jiro Aizawa, born 1903, is very significant in terms of Japan's history of robots, toy robots in particular. (also Dr. Aizawa, Uncle Robot, Dr. Robot, Zirou Aizawa, Dr. Aizawa Zirou, and 二郎相澤 in Japanese.) In 1910*1, when in 5th grade, Aizawa saw his first mechanical man in a London exhibition [RH Note that…
Reference: Science News - March 26, 1988 The Muscular Machinery of Tentacles, Trunks and Tongues Scientists discover a new way for muscles to work By STEFI WEISBURD An arm without bones could not bend. A person who tried to bend such an arm would instead end up with a…
Text below from Syd Mead's book SENTINEL The four-legged, gyro-balanced, walking cargo vehicle shown on pages 80-81 is from the US Steel Interface portfolio series [published in 1969 - see image below]. The environment is arctic and the mission is to deliver goods and critical supplies to an isolated exploratory…
Here is the Otherlab’s 15 foot inflatable walking robot, the Ant-Roach. We thought this conceptual elephant looked more like a cross between an anteater and a cockroach. The goal of building the Ant-Roach was to demonstrate the carrying capacity and high strength-to-weight ratios possible with inflatable structures. Comments November 21,…
This page contains a timeline showing Early Pneumatic, Fluidic and Inflatable Robots. If image is clickable, then a blog post exists for it. Check out the updates page for recent posts. Pneumatic Robots 1875- "Psycho" Card Playing Automaton  1928 - "Gakutensoku" by Makoto Nishimura  1957-8 - Joe McKibben "Artificial Muscle"  Early Pneumatic Actuator…
See Andrew Baldwin's website here http://www.andrewbaldwin.co.uk/. Andrew Baldwin trained as a Master Blacksmith and Welder and worked as such for 28 years. His interest in Victorian engineering, his limitless imagination and his aptitude for working metal are what motivates him to create his outlandish mechanical marvels. Among his creations is…
In the movie "What A Way To Go!", "Larry Flint" creates painting machines to produce his abstract art. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rps9NZPesh4#t=2696s Plot This lavishly produced, big-budget comedy (it cost $20 million in 1964 dollars) stars Shirley MacLaine as Louisa, a widow who is worth $200 million dollars. However, she's convinced that her…