I continue to dig through archives. An article about robots from distant January 1928 by the president of MIT.
* The origin of the word “robot” is linked to Karel Čapek’s play “R.U.R.”, where smart machines called “artificial laborers” were presented. Initially, Čapek wanted to name them “labori”, but he was not satisfied with this choice. His elder brother, Josef Čapek, suggested the word “robot”, derived from the word robota (“hard labor” or “serf labor”).
* The latest achievements include: 1) a door that opens with the words “Open Sesame” 2) calculating tides/ebbs for all the world’s ports years ahead
* A voice assistant is mentioned, capable of responding to queries: “In another room at Washington a man picks up his telephone, calls for a number, and receives a response from a mechanical man — a Robot. He asks the Robot for certain information and receives an audible reply”.
* “… In many respects, the most remarkable of all robots is the recently developed Televox, invented by Mr. R.J. Wensley. As its name suggests, this is a voice-controlled mechanism at a distance. Remote control of mechanisms through electrical circuits is a familiar concept. A very weak electrical pulse can influence an electromagnet. When the magnet moves its core winding even slightly, it can release energies that were waiting for a signal to activate. Such a pulse can be transmitted either through direct wires or, as Senator Marconi mentioned in a recent interview, wirelessly. This means that boats can be controlled without a pilot, cars can be safely driven through traffic without a driver, and planes can be flown without a pilot at the controls.”
(By the way, the original “Televox” was not exactly voice-controlled, or rather, not voice-controlled at all. In its first version, it responded to a tuned tone. The emphasis on the word “Televox” was that the monotone sounds were to be within the vocal range for which the telephone network was designed. Originally three tones were tuned to 600, 900, and 1400 hertz. Here’s the patent – https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/ac/76/e0/3616e6bc258530/US1765471.pdf)
One of the photos shows a huge gyroscope. This is Metal Mike, installed on the Queen Elizabeth, the largest liner of that era. Under the author’s definition, it also qualifies as a “robot”.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 