a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
Re-useable Space Tug Concept Report dated 1970 Manipulator Kit only for manned space tug. The initial operational capability (IOC) date for the unmanned earth-orbit tug was Jan 1980, the manned earth-orbit tug for December 1980 (includes Manipulator Kit), and the manned lunar tug for April 1983. The Space Tug is modular in design. Space Tug …
Read More “1970 – Space Tug (Concept) – MSFC/Boeing (American)”
The Rancho Anthropomorphic Manipulator (RAM) was built to test manipulator arms for use aboard the Space Shuttle. Orthotic manipulator arms. A man in space is relatively helpless in many respects; to perform useful work, he has to have special tools and some kind of assisting control mechanisms. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) has long been …
The Flexible Robot Arm P.O.W.E.R. Introduction The Personal Occupied Woven Envelope Robot (P.O.W.E.R.) project is a joint effort of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and Wyle Laboratories. This work is being performed under the Innovative Research Program for NASA. POWER is a flexible robot arm. It will be used as an "extension" of …
Read More “1988 – P.O.W.E.R. Arm – University of Alabama / Wyle Laboratories (American)”
Spacemen Get Long Reach with Remote-Control Aids By WERNHER von BRAUN PS Consulting editor, Space Sophisticated puppets called "teleoperators" can relieve our astronauts of many difficult or dangerous tasks performed in orbit When one of our coming Space Shuttles repairs a satellite in orbit, or retrieves it for return to Earth, it's likely the job …
Read More “1972 – Free Flyer with Manipulator Arms – Bell / Rancho Los Amigos (American)”
For Douglas Aircraft, in 1962, their earlier space manipulator designs, i.e., the Project Mercury converted capsule and the "Humpty Dumpty" unit, can be considered as first-generation, feasible, nonanthropomorphic devices. A much more speculative concept, but in every sense within our technological reach, is shown in figure 3 above. This is basically a space tug and …
Read More “1962 – Nonanthropomorphic Space Suit (Concept) – Douglas Aircraft Corp (American)”