a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
CMU Rover (showing camera slide). The CMU rover wheel drive assembly (simplified cross section). CMU Rover base assembly (showing wheels). Basic robotics concepts – John M. Holland – 1983 The CMU Rover Fully Independent Drive At the time of this writing [1983] Dr. Hans Moravec at Carnegie-Mellon University is constructing a new mobile robotic …
Read More “1981-3 – Pluto CMU Rover – Hans Moravec et al (American)”
Emily – The Robot with a One Track Mind by Bernard Dickman Popular Electronics March 1962 The strange-looking object following the white line is named "Emily." She may look like a dishpan with eyes, but this "Electro-Mechanical Inebriated Ladybug" is actually an electronic robot of the simplest type. Though equipped with only one "sense organ" …
Read More “1962 – “Emily” the White-line Follower – Bernard Dickman (American)”
An early patent describing current exoskeletons was filed in 1964 (and issued in 1967) in the United States. Without using the specific term of exoskeleton, Emery Kultsar, the inventor, describes a "system of support and traction for 'body', designed to protect workers from extreme conditions (fire, explosions, fallen wreckage …). A design feature was that …
Constantin Paul Lent 3034131 MOBILE SPACE SUIT – see pdf here. Patent number: 3034131 Filing date: Aug 7, 1956 Issue date: May 15, 1962 Although the suits key features were related to the aviator's 'needs' for long-duration flights, the invention predicted that as the air became more rarified the higher one could travel, the internal …
Read More “1956 – Powered Space Suit – Constantin Lent (American)”
JASON, a robot built by students in the EE Dept. at University of California, Berkeley. They include L. Stephen Coles, Michael H. Smith, Alan M. Robb, Paul L. Sinclair, and Ralph R. Sobek. The robot is equipped with a number of infrared proximity sensors and a radio link to its remote computer controller. Its onboard …
Read More “1971-4 – JASON a low-cost mobile robot – L. Stephen Coles, Michael H. Smith (American)”