a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
In the early ‘60s, as part of the preparations for the Apollo manned moon landing mission, the Jet Propulsion Lab planned a follow-on program to its very successful ‘hard’ landing ‘Ranger’ program, which gave the first close-up views of the moon’s surface. The proposed ‘soft’ lander program was called ‘Surveyor’. An initial concept was for …
Space General designers have built an insect-like vehicle with six legs, two arms, a triangular body, a solar-cell panel, and an antenna. The left arm, ending in a claw, picks up objects to examine. The right one holds a TV camera to do the looking – and to see where the vehicle is walking. This …
Read More “1961 – Moonwalker Lunar Rover – Space General Corp. (American)”
As a child, I really wanted one of these! Of the three built, two may still be in existance at the Rancho Los Amigos. **Video clip via youtube – has both the Moon walker prototype and the chair** Either an early version, or the prototype for the later Iron Mule Train see here. Cam-leg set-up …
Read More “1966 – “Moonwalker” Disability Walker – Jack Miller / W.C. Baldwin / Brodsky (American)”