THE ROBOT GROWING UP

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 96, 27 April 1929, Page 20

THE ROBOT GROWING UP

REPERTOIRE INCREASED

During recent monthsthe ■■mechanical man has been increasing his repertoire (says the "Christian Science Monitor," Boston). A short time ago he appeared in the role of a super-house-keeper. He turned on the electric stove, operated a, vacuum .cleaner, and blew a whistle when the three-minute eg"-s were done.' Graduating from his domestic duties, ho now' serves" as a doorman who counts the guests as they arrive, a watchman, a traffic policeman, or a fireman. In the last capacity he not only sounds the alarm, but actually puts out the blaze. On the lecture platform the robot appears, quite manlike in form: Especially is this true of Eric, the English gentleman, who looks like a suit of medieval armour suddenly resurrected. ' Telovox, who grew up and learned his tricks m the Westinghouse laboratory) will even talk, while his arms and legs respond instantly to tho proper bidding. Offstage they appear in a different guise. In his "working clothes" .Televpx is no more imposing than ,an ordinary radio set. Iron Mike, who steers a ship at sea with .greater.:, .accuracy than any helmsman who cver'stood a watch at the: wheel, is'disclosed as. a '-glorified cyi-oscqpe. .Thus ,bno perceife/s/. that •the business of.dressing up'maehinery to. resemble irien..is mcrely^tlio inventors'' little .joke. The important thing is tho constantly, increasing^ range of the tasks which tiiis '"'selective purpose" machinery is capable of accomplishing. ' ". .;,,. The man in need of a shave niayvscoff at the idea of entrusting his whiskers to a mechanical barber, even though he knows 1 that the robot will not talk. But it brings an entirely different .appreciation of progress in this field to see the British battleship Centurion sailing an intricate zig-zag course with its band playing\all the while, although theifi is not a single person on board. The robot of the sea is controlled'by radio by vessels several miles distant. In many cities a mechanical "hellogirl" is at tho beck and call of .telephone subscribers. The country ..... , : is rapidly becoming familiar with the dial Apparatus which, with a few, ' ■quick turns,, selects the 1 desired number from tho thousands listed in the directory. Telephone engineers, declare that ; the new system has practically eliiniriated the phrase "wrong' number" from central's vocabulary. ' ■;'■.. So the robot": is learning, to tell■: ripe oranges from green 'ones, to pub white beans in one pile and black beans in another, to operate electric sub-stations, to watch the wator-level in reservoirs, and' to pilot aeroplanes. Eric ana Televox were never mended, even by their inventors, really to replace men.;^But they hope to lift an increasing amount of the detail and drudgery from'-Hu-man tasks and thus rolease men- for endeavours of greater scope and: originality.