a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
Macaz – Cuba's first robot that, it's claimed, could "walk" (roll), turn, talk, smoke, shake hands, and can get slowly upright. Made of aluminum, iron, brass, lead, copper and weighing 350 lbs. It's possibly the first mobile "robot" made since the coinage of the word, although there were other mobile mechanical men that appeared before 1934. English translation of an article …
Arthur Radebaugh was a futurist illustrator, airbrush artist, and industrial designer. He produced a significant body of work for automotive industry advertisements. He was noted for his artistic experimentation with fluorescent paint under black light, an interest that stemmed from his design work for the U.S. Army. From 1958 to 1962 he produced the syndicated …
Read More “1959 – Lawn Mower (Concept) – Arthur Radebaugh (American)”
Want to lie in your hammock and mow the lawn in repose? The Homko Robot mower can be maneuvered by a remote control panel, one lever for forward, stop and reverse, and another for right and left. Since the cord that attaches this brain to the mower is 40 feet long, you can mow 40 …
Read More “1954 – “Homko” Robot Remote-controlled Lawnmower – (American)”
"Rose-Marie" the Robot with Will Mackford. The notes on the photographs are bilingual Flemish/French. [Thanks Serge De Man for the language origin.] Photo source here: Although William Mackford is an English name, the annotated images suggest the act to be Belgian-based. [Thanks Serge De Man for the language origin.] Any further information on "Rose-Marie" and/or …
Read More “1925c – “Rose-Marie” the Robot with Will Mackford – (Belgian)”
Anthropomorphicals I and II. 1964. Plexiglass and Aluminum. 65in. x 20in. x 24in. Richard Feigen Gallery, New York. 1965. Source: Beyond Modern Sculpture – Jack Burnham 1968 It would be misleading to classify [Hans] Haacke as an artist primarily devoted to applying cybernetic principles to mechanical artifacts; rather his interests are in those cyclical processes …
Read More “1964-5 – Robot Art – Enrique Castro-Cid (Chilean)”