You probably use machines all the time. How would you feel about becoming one? Biology and technology are starting to combine, ushering in a new era.
The world’s first autonomous robot, the Tortoise, was built by neurologist W. Grey Walter and engineer W. J. Warren. It mimics animal behavior, sensing and responding to its environment. A rotating photoelectric cell serves as the machine’s “eye,” sensing light and directing the robot to respond.
The spacesuit test dummy has hydraulic and electrical parts that replicate motions of the human body.
Sensors measure forces that would be exerted on a human wearing the suit in a space environment. This early android was intended to allow engineers at NASA to run experiments without putting humans at risk.
Both objects point forward to a much bigger experiment still underway: what would it mean if machines, animals, and people converged?
This section contains the following objects:
Tortoise Robot
Spacesuit Testing Android
“Tortoise” Mobile Robot
W. Grey Walter and W. J. Warren, ca. 1950
Plastic and metal
Description: A machine on wheels with a clear cover over it. The robot has exposed wires. There are three wheels: One in front, two in the back. The front has a top with a spring, coming out of the clear cover. The back has a thick section of wires and screws.
Credit: Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
IIT Research Institute, 1960s
Description: A human-like silver robot figure. The android has a plastic face with features. It has many exposed wires, especially throughout the neck and torso area. The wires are thick, like a small tube. The wires are also thin. It has moveable arms, legs, and fingers. It has exposed and covered sections of the arms and leg area.
Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution