a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
1969 – NR-1 Submersible by General Dynamics. Early design sketch of the NR-1 sub. Builder: General Dynamics Electric Boat Laid down: 10 June 1967 Launched: 25 January 1969 Source: Wikipedia NR-1 is able to land on the seafloor on a pair of retractable wheels and can lift heavy objects with a manipulator arm system. NR-1's …
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1968 – Beaver Mark IV Submersible by North American Rockwell. Renamed “Roughneck” in 1969. Each of the two manipulators has a 9-ft reach, eight degrees-of-freedom, and a 50-lb lifting capacity. The two manipulators can be equipped with nine different tools to perform various tasks. These tools are: impact wrench, hook hand, parallel jaws, cable cutter, …
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1961 – Trieste Submersible with Manipulator Arm by Harold Froehlich – General Mills. Image source: Manned Submersibles, Frank Bushby, 1976. The Trieste was purchased by the U.S. Navy in 1958. Development of the manipulator arm, instigated by Don Walsh, was done by Harold "Bud" Froehlich of General Mills. Based on the Model 150 arm, it was finally …
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1967 – STAR III Submersible by General Dynamics had a bow manipulator with interchangeable "hands" and two television cameras, and operated at depths of 2,000 feet. STAR III Manipulator Control Panel. Above and below: Advertisements highlighting the manipulator arms developed at General Dynamics. Press Photo c1967. Star II and Star III (foreground), the two research …
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Photo source: Manned Submersibles, Bushby. 1964 – Asherah Submersible by General Dynamics. Manipulator Arm: One electro-hydraulic. Made by General Dynamics. Asherah, the first commercially built American research submersible, was a two-man submarine built by General Dynamics, Groton, Connecticut, USA, and could dive to a depth of 600 feet (180 m). Commissioned in 1963 and launched …
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