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1932 – Mechanical Horse ( Bicycle ) – Sam Barton (U.K.)

  The picture below clearly shows the foot positioning for bicycle pedals. Photographs are shown also of Mr. Sam Barton, the British vaudeville artist, astride his mechanical horse. From San Antonio Light 4 December 1932 Everybody knows the advantages of the automobile over the horse, but why should Sam Barton…
Read more » 1932 – Mechanical Horse ( Bicycle ) – Sam Barton (U.K.)

1951 – SNARC Maze Solver – Minsky / Edmonds (American)

In 1951 Marvin Minsky teamed with Dean Edmonds build the first artificial neural network that simulated a rat finding its way through a maze. They designed the first (40 neuron) neurocomputer, SNARC (Stochastic Neural Analog Reinforcement Computer), with synapses that adjusted their weights (measures of synaptic permeabilities) according to the…
Read more » 1951 – SNARC Maze Solver – Minsky / Edmonds (American)

1950 – Maze Solver – J. J. Coupling (John Pierce) – (American)

In the pulp magazine "Astounding Science Fiction" of August, 1950, J. J. Coupling (Pseudonym) wrote an article titled "How To Build A Thinking Machine". It used a trial and error approach, using a maze as an example. There is no evidence to date that suggests it was ever realized.   The article is…
Read more » 1950 – Maze Solver – J. J. Coupling (John Pierce) – (American)

1930 – Schreitender Motorwagen / Streitwagen (Walking car) – von Bechtolsheim (Germany)

The Schreitender Motorwagen  / Streitwagen (Walking car) invented by Therese Freifrau von Bechtolsheim geb. Grafin Fugger-Kirchberg, Dr.Georg Freiherr von Bechtolsheim, Max Freiherr von Bechtolsheim and Berthamarie Freifrau von Nothafft geb. Freiin Von Bechtolsheim,  (not Baron von Bechtolsheim aka Clemens von Bechtolsheim) in 1930 (and not 1913 as reported elsewhere). There is…
Read more » 1930 – Schreitender Motorwagen / Streitwagen (Walking car) – von Bechtolsheim (Germany)

1912 – Madamoiselle Claire – Herdner (French)

La Petit Journal N°1135 DU 18 AOUT 1912. "MLLE CLAIRE", L’INFIRMIERE AUTOMATE DE L’HOPITAL BRETONNEAU.,8 PAGES, FORMAT 31CM X 45CM. p2 The original French followed by a not very good machine translation. A propos de a Mlle Claire ».   Histoire des automates.  Vaucanson.   Son canard.   Le mystère d'une digestion.   Le…
Read more » 1912 – Madamoiselle Claire – Herdner (French)

1906 – Walking figures – Bingham (American)

Placemarker entry only from Des Moines Daily News 14 Jan 1906 p10  IN VAUDEVILLE. James Bingham, the ventriloquist, with his mechanical walking figures will appear this week.   [If anyone has any further information on Bingham's walking figures I will add it here and credit you with it.]
Read more » 1906 – Walking figures – Bingham (American)

1950-1 – Maze Runner – Ian P. Howard (England)

  Ian P. Howard with his Maze Runner (Photo supplied by Ian P. Howard - April 2008)  Note the novel use of hexagonal tiles to give the branched track. Prof. Dr. Ian P. Howard Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology and Biology Founder of the Centre for Vision Research York University…
Read more » 1950-1 – Maze Runner – Ian P. Howard (England)

1930 – Rastus Robot & Willie Jr. – Thomas / Kintner (Westinghouse) (American)

Above: Mr. 'Rastus Robot, the most lifelike of mechanical men, conducting a conversation with S. M. Kintner, assistant vice-president of the Westinghouse Co., Mr. Robot needs some prompting, it is true; that is given by the flashlight in his interlocutor's right hand, which controls the "sound-on-film" conversation previously rehearsed. Here…
Read more » 1930 – Rastus Robot & Willie Jr. – Thomas / Kintner (Westinghouse) (American)

1930 – Katrina Van Televox – Westinghouse (American)

Targeting a different market audience, Westinghouse produced a female version of Herbert Televox. Katrina was based on the second model that ran sound tapes, and appeared between May 1930 through April 1931. Note that only the wallboard cutout is different, and I suppose the voice tapes were of a female voice…
Read more » 1930 – Katrina Van Televox – Westinghouse (American)

1930 – Televox – Eugene Wendling (Swiss)

The above image is sourced from : http://www.circusmuseum.nl/eng/  search under Wendling Collectie Circusarchief Jaap Best Tekst achterzijde foto Televox. Der Maschinen Mensch. Erfinder: Ing. Eugène Wendling. 1930. Grand Hotel et surselva Waldhaus-Films Jaar vervaardiging 1930 Personen Wending, Eugène *Not to be confused with Wensley's Herbert Televox in America. from Chapius…

1930 – Sheet Metal Man – F.J. Edwards (English)

from Simpsons' Daily Leader-Times 12 Mar 1930 p9 With the increasing replacement of men by machins, the laborer in the future may look something like the grotesque figure shown in the above photo. This mechanical "robot" man attracted .considerable attention at the" British Industrial Fair held recently at Birmingham, England.…
Read more » 1930 – Sheet Metal Man – F.J. Edwards (English)

1929 – Dr Motor – Tarján Ferenc – (Hungarian)

  Built by Hungarian inventor Tarján Ferenc (Budapest, 1895.11.04.- Budapest, 1956.11.28.) (English = Frank or Francis Tarjan).  The robot was shown at the Corvin department store in January 1929 in Budapest . Operated in a fully acoustically isolated, remote controlled chamber. This room is a miniature studio, which not only speech, but controlled…
Read more » 1929 – Dr Motor – Tarján Ferenc – (Hungarian)

1929 – Telelux Robot – (American)

A rare picture of " Telelux ". The "Telelux" Sound and light were transformed into mechanical action at the banquet of the National Tool Exposition recently to illustrate their possibilites in regulating traffic, aiding the aviator, and performing automatic functions. A beam of light was thrown into the "eyes" of…

1928 – Rupert I & II – (English)

Rupert I - 1928 Rupert was built as a mechanical representation of major organs of a human.  The Popular Science [Apr 1929] article suggests it was built by British schoolboys.    Rupert II - 1929 (re-modelled innards) from Popular Science Apr 1929 p58 Boys Build "Human Engine" in Study of Anatomy USING…

1927 – Televox – Roy J. Wensley (American)

                         Whilst Roy James Wensley's "Televox" came about in 1927, he had invented and patented an earlier "supervisory control system" (patent filed in 1923).  This system was effectively a system that could "remotely control"  equipment via power lines, wireless, telephone lines, but not sound, which is how it is differentiated with the later "Televox".  Some…
Read more » 1927 – Televox – Roy J. Wensley (American)

1957 – Machina Versatilis – Ivan Sutherland (American)

Ivan Sutherland with M. Versatilis. Source: Carnegie Mellon University Archives Machina Versatilis , pictured above and below, was so named due to the versatile modular plug-in boards. M. Versatilis was the final of three models built, and at least two of this model were supposedly built. The first version, see blog post…
Read more » 1957 – Machina Versatilis – Ivan Sutherland (American)

Squee_Construction_1952

Squee - The Robot Squirrel Construction Plans - Edmund C. Berkeley reprint Aug 1952

LivingRobots52

The Construction of Living Robots - Edmund C. Berkeley 1952

1928 – Eric Robot – Capt. Richards & A.H. Reffell (English)

Each press article of the day offered a different snippet about Captain William H. Richards' Eric Robot.  I will summerise them here. Eric Robot was constructed at Gomshall, near Dorking [see note below], by Captain William H. Richards, a veteran of the First World War, and a noted journalist and A. H. Reffell, a…
Read more » 1928 – Eric Robot – Capt. Richards & A.H. Reffell (English)

1956 – CYSP-1 – Nicolas Schöffer – (Hungarian/French)

Although built as an art piece, Nicolas Schöffer's CYSP-1 (a name composed of the first letters of CYbernetics and SPatiodynamic) is significant both in terms of the introduction of a new art form, as well as being a serious attempt  as an autonomous "being".  Schöffer was the first artist to be…
Read more » 1956 – CYSP-1 – Nicolas Schöffer – (Hungarian/French)

1956 – Mechanical Animal – William Robert “Bert” Sutherland / Ivan E. Sutherland – (American)

 This copy of a letter from 1957 describes the first "Mechanical Animal" built by the Sutherland brothers, Bert and Ivan.     Here’s a transcript of the letter sent from Ivan E. Sutherland to Grey Walter in 1957: Nov 10. [IES  to WGW] “Dear Sir: Early last month I had sent…
Read more » 1956 – Mechanical Animal – William Robert “Bert” Sutherland / Ivan E. Sutherland – (American)

1955 – Snail – Cross – (American)

Snail Robot by Versal Cross  High-School Robots Learn the “Three Rs” By Jim Collison - Popular Mechanics  July 1955 There is also a little robot. Versal Cross, 17, the senior student who built it calls it a Doodlebug or Snail. The Snail follows a beam of light and, having lost…

1953 – Timothy Turtle – Jack Kubanoff (American)

1953 - Timothy Turtle by  Jack H. Kubanoff, Radio and Television News, April 1953 The text to the article is below. For the moment, the pages themselves can be found here. The article itself has a good description of its functionality.  Some of its functionality reminds me of Berkeley's Squee…
Read more » 1953 – Timothy Turtle – Jack Kubanoff (American)

Updates pre-2015

Updates to the cyberneticzoo.com website. See also the Cybernetic Zoo facebook page for more commentary on updates. pre-2015 31 Dec 2014 Added Unknown Deep Diving Armours . 31 Dec 2014 Added 1977 - Deep Diving Apparatus by Alistair Carnegie. 29 Dec 2014 Added 1914-1937 – Various Diving Armour by Neufeldt and…

1904 – Mechanical Walker Human Powered Unicycle – Crosse – (American)

Years ago when I was searching the patents database the long, hard way (Google  patents has made it all sooo much easier and quicker), I came across this wonderful looking Mechanical Walker / Unicycle. I just love the concept and the fine illustrations. Steam punkers will enjoy this one as…
Read more » 1904 – Mechanical Walker Human Powered Unicycle – Crosse – (American)

1869 – “Steam King” Steam Man – Winans / Eno – (American)

Update: 4 July 2010: A more recent discovery has it that, in fact, Thomas J. Winans was the inventor of the Steam Man, actually called "Steam King". Eno and a Newspaper were third share investors, and later custodians of the steam wagon. See article text below giving full description of…
Read more » 1869 – “Steam King” Steam Man – Winans / Eno – (American)

1893 – Walking Automaton – “Weston” – (American)

Edward Payson Weston was one of Americas earliest and famous 'pedestrians', walking all over the country for most of his life.   A Walking Automaton was built in his likeness by a currently unknown inventor. The Evening World 14 Jan 1893 p5 Huber's 14th Street  Museum. The walking automaton. Walks like a living man. …
Read more » 1893 – Walking Automaton – “Weston” – (American)

1894 – Walking Machine – Gross – (American)

I'm afraid I don't have too much info on this one, but here it is anyway..... New Castle News 01 Aug 1894 p7 Result of a Vision. An old gentleman named Gross of Beaver, who travels over the country sharpening saws was in town Tuesday and told of a wonderful…
Read more » 1894 – Walking Machine – Gross – (American)

1894-1914 – Electric Man – Perew – (American)

The Louis Philip Perew "Electric Man", due to an often referenced article by "The Strand Magazine", is dated as 1900. Further, due to a popular site that mis-represents early walking machines and steam men, it is also referred to as "Automatic Man". I elect to present the full story as…
Read more » 1894-1914 – Electric Man – Perew – (American)

1891-1893 – Steam Man – Prof. George Moore – (Canadian/American)

The above model from one of my favourite automata artists, Kandamu. For those of  you expecting a simple, easy post for Prof. George Moore's "Steam Man", well, it isn't going to be one. The press "announcement" date for the Steam Man is 1893, but Prof. G. Moore had spent two years…
Read more » 1891-1893 – Steam Man – Prof. George Moore – (Canadian/American)

1890 – Electric Walking Automaton – George R. Moore (American)

 “Electric Man” - George R. Moore, a then seventy-year-old retired miller of LowelL Mass., USA. [Note: The author believes that George R. Moore of Lowell, Mass., is not the same person as Professor George Moore, the Canadian "inventor" of the more well known “Steam Man”.] Walking Automaton – Patent #…
Read more » 1890 – Electric Walking Automaton – George R. Moore (American)

1887 – Walking Wagon – (American)

Other than this one article, I have nothing else on this Walking Wagon. Fort Wayne Sentinel 14 Sept 1887 p1 A WALKING WAGON This Ingenious Contrivance Exhibited to the People of Fort Wayne. A young man named Browns [Brossins?], from Abolt station, has a novel contrivance on exhibition in this…

1880 – Steam Man “Frankenstein” – Hornburg (Australian)

Being an Australian myself, I got very excited when I found out about this Steam Man from Australia. Despite many hours in the State Library of Victoria, I have not been able to find any photos of him. However, as it was on show for major exhibitions, there was plenty of…
Read more » 1880 – Steam Man “Frankenstein” – Hornburg (Australian)

1954 – Vienna Turtle – Eichler / Zemanek (Austrian)

 In June of this year (2009), I went to the UK and to Europe to visit some of the great computer pioneers and in particular, to talk to them about their early cybernetic models they built.  I travelled with David Buckley (see his site here), and one of our stops…
Read more » 1954 – Vienna Turtle – Eichler / Zemanek (Austrian)

1924 – Radio Police Automaton – Gernsback (American)

Hugo Gernsback contributed significantly to the advancement of new technologies, such as Automaton and Robots. He was responsible for some of the greatest technical magazines published, and published many articles himself. In this case, he predicts and describes a radio controlled police automaton in his magazine "Science & Invention" May 1924.…
Read more » 1924 – Radio Police Automaton – Gernsback (American)

1923-8 – Robot – Capt. Alban J. Roberts (New Zealand/Australia/U.K.)

Captain Alban J. Roberts – mobile, light operated automaton 1920’s (responsible for robots attributed to Jasper Maskelyne (music halls). I have also seen this automaton incorrectly attributed to Capt W. H. Richards -Eric (in error due to similar names) . We also see the name Alan Roberts pop up as well. See video…
Read more » 1923-8 – Robot – Capt. Alban J. Roberts (New Zealand/Australia/U.K.)

1874-1883 Steam Man – Capt. Rowe a.k.a. C. C. Roe (Canadian)

I have not been able to locate an image of Rowe's Steam Man, or should I say Steam Men as he made at least two of them.  There is a possibility that Rowe's second Steam Man was re-incarnated as Prof.  Moore's Steam Man in 1891. More on that in a later post. At one…
Read more » 1874-1883 Steam Man – Capt. Rowe a.k.a. C. C. Roe (Canadian)

1867-8 – Steam Man – Dederick & Grass – (American)

Zadoc P. Dederick's Steam Man appears to be the first of the Steam Men.  The Steam Man from Newark was so inspirational it generated many more Walking Machines, steam or otherwise, and also fictional stories, now seen as some of the earliest Science or Speculative Fiction (SF) written.   US…
Read more » 1867-8 – Steam Man – Dederick & Grass – (American)

1920 – “The Kaiser” Mechanical Man – Capt. Alban J. Roberts (New Zealand/Australia/U.K.)

The name "Kaiser" comes from the title of a video clip found at British Pathe here. Its actual name is not known at this time. WORKING MODEL OF THE KAISER Captain Alban J. Roberts - mobile, light-operated automaton 1920's (responsible for robots attributed to Jasper Maskelyne (music halls) and occasionally incorrectly…
Read more » 1920 – “The Kaiser” Mechanical Man – Capt. Alban J. Roberts (New Zealand/Australia/U.K.)

1850 – Chebyshev Walking platform – Russian

This linkage was invented by the Russian mathematician Pafnuty Chebyshev (1821-1894) Model as seen in Russian Technology Museum - Moscow. See the above Chebyshev walker in my compilation video clip here. Wouter Scheublin's Chebyshev-based walking bookcase. see Wouter Scheublin's Chebyshev-based walking table here.
Read more » 1850 – Chebyshev Walking platform – Russian

1849 – Steam Man – Russian

The 1849 Russian Steam man entry is more a place marker in case further information comes to light that this steam man actually went through a walking motion, rather than a statue on some sort of steam carriage.   Scientific American. / Volume 5, Issue 14 1849  Page  108 A…

Grey Walter’s Tortoises – the video clips

In my research for all things Grey Walter and his tortoises, I have uncovered five (5) video clips available on the internet. Of the five, I have downloaded four of them, the 5th has been allusive for some time, having not been able to re-locate it again after spending many…
Read more » Grey Walter’s Tortoises – the video clips

Robots in Art Timeline

This page contains a timeline showing significant robots in art events, and dates showing the creation or announcement of the robots. If image is clickable, then a blog post exists for it. Check out cyberneticzoo facebook or the updates page for recent posts.  1920 - Capt A.J. Roberts  1956 - CYSP-1 Nicolas…

1911 – Miss Automaton – Belcher (American)

At this point in time I am unable to locate an image for Belcher's Miss Automaton. In the mean time, here are some interesting transcripts from period newspapers. The Waterloo Evening Courier 30 Aug 1911p1 Belcher Automaton AUTOMATON WALKS, TALKS AND WRITES Boston. Mass, Aug. 30.-—John W. Belcher of Newton…
Read more » 1911 – Miss Automaton – Belcher (American)
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