a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
The earliest known actual walking dragline was from Ransomes & Rapier 1939 using the patented Cameron and Heath walking method. Model W170, it had a 4-yard bucket. TRACTION OR PROPULSION MECHANISM OF THE WALKING TYPE – Cameron et al. Colin McLeod Cameron and Alfred Thomas Heath British Patent 320,223 Granted Feb 21, 1940. Filed Mar …
Image found on flickr. Exhibit now located at Musée Mécanique, San Francisco. See video clip here. from Mechanix Illustrated May 1947 from Popular Science Jan 1939.
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)”
Charles Lawson with his 2nd robot. Robot invented by Charles Lawson, a radio engineer of Kettering, England. Little is known of this Robot. Earliest known date of 1939 is from the above Popular Science advert on Webster's Dictionary. 7ft. tall, its claimed that this robot can control traffic, sing, light and smoke a cigarette and sit or …
Read More “1939 – Superman Dennis the Robot – Charles Lawson (British)”
Above: Popular Science Aug 1940. Below: Radio-Craft Oct 1939 extract from Radio-Craft Oct 39. Clarence. RADIO ROBOT Something new! A completely self-contained robot which operates within 150 ft. of a remote control unit. Oscillators—very similar to the currently popular " 'wireless' phono oscillator" supply control signals. by AUSTIN HUHN "CLARENCE," the "Man of Tomorrow," last month …
Read More “1939 – Clarence the Radio Robot – Austin Huhn (American)”