a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
The Walking Gyro was conceived and built by John Jameson in 1981. Article Source: Robotics Age, January 1985. THE WALKING GYRO John W Jameson 275 E. O'Keefe #7 Palo Alto, CA 94303 Walking machines generally fall into one of two categories: statically balanced or dynamically balanced. A statically balanced machine maintains stability at every position …
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A gyroscopic toy, that imparts a walking motion via a reciprocating crank, driven via a worm off the flywheel shaft. The bottom part is interchangeable so that the pedaling unicycle can be replaced by walking stilts, or a leg arrangement for tight-rope walking. Patent number: 2588040 – see full patent details here. Filing date: Apr …
Read More “1950 – Toy Unicycle Pedaling Clown – Wilfredo Perez (American)”
Wendell the Unicyclist premiered in 1988, and is the world’s only unicycle riding animatronic figure. He performs without any visible means of support. Source: The Illusion of Life: Lifelike Robotics, Gene W. Poor, 1991 "… But the most impressive component Garner brings to the animation marketplace is an extraordinarily creative mind with superb problem-solving and …
Read More “1988 – “Wendell” the Unicycle Rider – Garner Holt (American)”
There are various websites that contain the full pdf of Meccano Instruction manuals and Meccano Magazines. You can download them from nzmeccano.com . An early model from 1975. See also Wes Dalefield's excellent site on the Meccano Giant Walking Dragline here. See real Walking Draglines and illustrations on the walking mechanism here.
1925 Nilsson Walking Tractor It is not always possible to use vehicles with wheels, especially when the ground is heavy and the surface uneven. The problem of overcoming the difficulty has long occupied the attention of inventors, and a new type of transmission was evolved when caterpillar action was used for the tanks during the …
Read More “1928 – Meccano Walking Tractor – A. L. Spilhaus (Sth African) and C. Lee (British)”