1948 – ELSIE (Electro-mechanical robot, Light Sensitive with Internal and External stability ) – W. Grey Walter

ELSIE  (Electro-mechanical robot, Light Sensitive with Internal and External stability ). The press at the time reported the arrival of ELSIE in late 1949, eg Daily Mail, 17 November 1949; and Daily Express, 13 December 1949. But a memo exists from Edison Swan to Grey dated 10 Mar 1948 suggests that the female tortoise [ELSIE] was also built in 1948. [Note: Edison …

M. speculatrix – a new species of animal – ELMER

ELMER – (ELectro-MEchanical Robot)                              How the media reported the coming of ELMER :   Lethbridge Herald –  Wednesday , February 25, 1948 Robot Tortoise Likes Women – Recognizes Voices, Comes To Meet When Called-Can be Sulky                                           LONDON. Feb. 25      Daily Express reported today that Dr. W. Grey Walter. 38-year-old brain scientist has built a robot tortoise so "human …

Dr. W. Grey Walter (cont.)

Before I introduce Elmer, the first of Grey’s tortoises, a little background on Grey’s technical skills. We already learnt from the previous post that Grey was building "wireless" sets with his Dad in 1919.  The BNI Archives have a photo of a young Grey Walter at a metal turning lathe, so  he appears to be quite …

Dr. W. Grey Walter (cont)

    Ray Cooper, the last director of the Burden Neurological Institute, wrote this bio on Grey Walter  for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography ( http://www.oxforddnb.com ) . (William) Grey Walter (1910-1977),  Walter, (William) Grey (1910-1977), neurophysiologist, was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on 19 February 1910, the only child of Karl Wilhelm Walter (1880-1965), a British …