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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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4th Apr 2021, 9:19 pm | #1 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK.
Posts: 60
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The Robots are coming!
Hi Y'all,
I found this within the pages of a 1953 Eagle Annual (number 2 for those interested in such things) in a piece called Robots on the March. I realise that it was in a boys' annual from the 1950s and might just be a bit far-fetched, but does anyone know anything about what is described as a "tradiitional form of robot"? Did it really exist? Was it some advertising gimmick or was it all nonsense intended to fire-up the imagination of post-war schoolboys (and me)? I suspect the latter somehow, but I am intrigued just a little bit by it! |
4th Apr 2021, 9:31 pm | #2 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK.
Posts: 2,300
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Re: The Robots are coming!
I think that a "traditional form of robot" means humanoid as opposed to task oriented robots as used in assembly plants.
Of course how much like a human does it have to be to qualify? Compare Robby from Lost in Space to ASIMO. Peter |
4th Apr 2021, 9:35 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 9,433
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Re: The Robots are coming!
Anything like this?
https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3129
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Frank |
4th Apr 2021, 9:48 pm | #4 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK.
Posts: 60
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Re: The Robots are coming!
Hi Nuvistor,
I think I'm more impressed with Elektro the robot's role as "Thinko" in the film in which he appeared than the robot itself. His dog companion could have been an early inspiration for K9 in Doctor Who. |
4th Apr 2021, 10:19 pm | #5 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Todmorden, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 870
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Re: The Robots are coming!
The humanoid robot ("Maschinenmensch" in German) goes back at least as far as Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis. The word "robot" derives from the Czech word for "worker" as in Karel Capek's 1921 play "Rossum's Universal Robots" but the robots in it were made from flesh and blood rather than metal.
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4th Apr 2021, 11:36 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,345
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Re: The Robots are coming!
It seems that the drawing from the Eagle depicts one built by Bassett-Lowke. The accompanying photo of it is from the book "The Bassett-Lowke Story" by Roland Fuller, in an album section of photos from the BL archives. Unfortunately the only information in the book about the robot is what is in the caption, which just says "Bassett-Lowke's famous pre-war exhibition robot". The only thing in the photo that might give an idea of its size are the ropes attached to the post next to the robot's right foot.
Last edited by emeritus; 4th Apr 2021 at 11:44 pm. Reason: Typos |
5th Apr 2021, 8:18 am | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 3,274
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Re: The Robots are coming!
I think Mullard used a robot called "Alpha" in some of its publicity.
http://cyberneticzoo.com/robots/1932...y-may-english/ Peter Last edited by peter_scott; 5th Apr 2021 at 8:25 am. |
5th Apr 2021, 8:52 am | #8 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Dukinfield, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 2,038
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Re: The Robots are coming!
Was Elektro the one that could 'understand' speech and give a suitable reply? There was a documentary about this kind of thing on TV a few years ago and it was fascinating. One of the surviving developers of Elektro explained that of course the robot didn't understand speech at all, but there was no human intervention in the process.
Apparently Elektro contained a basic sound detector which could count the syllables in a question and select a pre-recorded response. This meant that the questioners had to read out the supplied question exactly as written in a clear and deliberate fashion. It seemed to work.
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Andy G1HBE. Last edited by Andrew2; 5th Apr 2021 at 9:12 am. |
5th Apr 2021, 9:22 am | #9 |
Hexode
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Medway towns, Kent, UK.
Posts: 271
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Re: The Robots are coming!
just in topic, 1920's bus ticket machines were known as 'robot conductors'
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5th Apr 2021, 10:44 am | #10 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: near Reading (and sometimes Torquay)
Posts: 3,099
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Re: The Robots are coming!
Quote:
The modern meaning of the word "robot" (from a Czech word for forced labourer) seems to start around 1920, to describe humanoid automata. So that takes us back to maybe humanoid automata of the 16th century (which were amazing)? Or even back a couple of thousand years to the earliest attempts at automata? |
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5th Apr 2021, 11:15 am | #11 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 5,554
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Re: The Robots are coming!
The first common robot must surely be the ATM.
There were a few that had no CRT in them. The display was instructions printed on a belt behind a clear panel. I tried to find a photo on line and found photos of broken walls and abandoned back-hoe machines instead. |
5th Apr 2021, 1:13 pm | #12 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK.
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Re: The Robots are coming!
In South Africa traffic lights are called robots. I don't know how far back that goes though.
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Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron. |
5th Apr 2021, 1:46 pm | #13 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
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Re: The Robots are coming!
A robot is normally termed as resembling a human being and able to replicate some human movements , however Robot as a term is used for machines doing auto insertion/specific jobs ie. manufacturing ,
The first Robots to be used in an industrial setting first appeared in about 1961.
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5th Apr 2021, 2:00 pm | #14 | |
Moderator
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Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK.
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Re: The Robots are coming!
Quote:
Cheers Mike T
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5th Apr 2021, 2:02 pm | #15 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,345
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Re: The Robots are coming!
Interesting that no mention is made in the articles found in the links to Bassett-Lowke's involvement. While better known for their model railways, BL were precision engineers that had a considerable business in making fully working museum-quality scale models of things like industrial plant and would have had the skill and expertise to construct the complex electrical and mechanical apparatus that the robot required.
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5th Apr 2021, 2:17 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 3,274
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Re: The Robots are coming!
It is strange. Bassett-Lowke has an advert in Practical Mechanics but the article about the robot doesn't mention him although I think the inventor photo is him.
Peter Last edited by peter_scott; 5th Apr 2021 at 2:25 pm. |
5th Apr 2021, 4:10 pm | #17 |
Moderator
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Re: The Robots are coming!
The Basset-Lowke robot in the photo of post number 6 looks to have a microphone in its right hand (and its body language suggests it could start singing any moment). Ah, one in each hand... stereo?
David
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5th Apr 2021, 6:47 pm | #19 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
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Re: The Robots are coming!
Isn't that the definition of an android rather than a robot?
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5th Apr 2021, 7:46 pm | #20 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK.
Posts: 60
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Re: The Robots are coming!
Hi emeritus, The Bassett-Lowke robot must be the same one as the one in the Eagle book. I'm quite surprised that it existed really. If it really weighed 3 tons as the Eagle says it must have been quite a monster!
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