a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
Although built using a child's electric car as the chassis, the fully functional Buster was a true Cybernetic Animal, showing reflexes, phototropism, and hunger / recharging modes. He could operate totally autonomously if so desired, but had manual overrides via a remote panel or remote control via an acoustic adapter. No CPU chips here. Op-amps, …
Read More “1976 – “Buster” Robot Animal – David L. Heiserman (American)”
elektor june 75 M. Keul and H. Lohr the moth This is a design for a simple cybernetic model, based on an electric toy car, that will be attracted towards a light source like a moth, negotiating obstacles in its path. The car has two motors, one to propel it and one for the steering …
Read More “1975 – “The Moth” Cybernetic Model – Keul & Lohr (Dutch)”
elektor june 75 beetle Beetles, tortoises and the like have often served as models for cybernetic machines which must also have a reasonable appearance. The beetle described in this article can 'see, hear and feel' and reacts to information in the form of sounds and movements. The animal has a memory and can get tired. …
see full pdf here. Personal Computing FEBRUARY 1978 p56-61 BERT (excerpt) Building Your BASIC Robot Robots vary in sophistication and control structure, from Mars-walking space probes and industrial assembly robots to self-motivating household pets and computer-controlled "turtle" drawing robots. My interest in these simple mobile computer input-output devices, robots, led me to construct my own …
Meet MERV – Electronics Today (Australia) April 1971 MERV stands for Mobile Environmental Response Vehicle. Its creator, Peter Vogel, built it to demonstrate his theory on artificial intelligence IS it true that machines are incapable of intelligence, or can they in fact be endowed with reasoning power?' One answer — in the form of an …