a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
1962 – Szegedi Robot Man [reproduction] by Dr. Muszka Dániel. Fotó: Bodajki Ákos Article source: here. (Google translation from Hungarian.) Human-sized robot arrived at the Paks Nuclear Energy Museum. The heroic age of cybernetics – or life was the latest piece of the temporary exhibition called PC before the tin man in Szeged at which …
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Caption: This electronic Robot might have prevented the horse-racing ban, but it would cause technological unemployment among the jockey fraternity. Source: Radio-Craft for March, 1945. RADIO JOCKEY – Electronically-Controlled Robot Rider By ERIC LESLIE HORSE-RACING—the game of kings—has one great weakness. The suspicion of "fixed" races, of "pulled" horses and of dishonest jockeys, has prevented …
Read More “1945 – Radio Jockey – Gernsback / Leslie (American)”
Prosopographus Selected extract from the full post by Patrick Feaster here. Between 1820 and 1835, a machine was exhibited around Great Britain that was advertised as taking people’s portraits by strictly automatic means. Someone had only to pay a shilling and sit perfectly still next to it for the space of a minute to obtain …
Read More “1820 – Prosopographus, the Automaton Artist – Charles Hervé”
1982 – RCV-150 Remote Controlled Vehicle System by Arthur B. Billet, principal engineer, Hydro Products, Inc., a Tetra Tech Co., wholly owned by Honeywell. Image Source: here. Technician checks out the RCV-150, Hydro Product's largest deep-diving robot vehicle, one of the increasing number of such remote-controlled devices that are rapidly replacing human divers for many …
Read More “1978-80 – RCV-150 ROV – Arthur B. Billet (American)”
1985 – Direct Link Prehensor (DLP) by John W. Jameson. The project stalled in 1986. Originally designed for astronaut hard suits, it was later licensed to Nuytco for its atmospheric diving systems, or ADS, particularly the then new Exosuit. The Prehensor is a manipulator that matches the dexterity of a gloved human hand. External ‘fingers’ …
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