MECHANICAL “ MAN.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20288, 22 December 1927, Page 9

MECHANICAL “ MAN.”

A REMARKABLE INVENTION. MACHINES AS WATCHMEN. The United States, with its emphasis on perfection in mechanical devices, and the material comforts of living, has finally developed the mechanical “ man,” states the New York correspondent of the Melbourne Argus. At the labiratorios of the Westinghousc Electric and Manufacturing Com. pany there was recently demonstrated a device which can be called upon by sounds within the register of the human voice—although actually a timing fork is used in order to insure accuracy —to perform certain acts, and which will perform them accurately-, and with despatch. This device, during a public exhibition at the first syllabic, lit a series of lamps; at the second it switched on an electric fan; at the third it turned on a searchlight; at the fourth it operated an automatic sweeper; at the fifth it lighted a signal lamp. The mechanical servant responds only to sound waves of the proper frequency, and executes a given command with the speed of electricity. The Westinghouse Company sees a great future, and an almost unlimited field ot usefulness for these mechanical “ men.” They could be installed at power stations or sub-stations to serve as watchmen at any of a number of points, and to give certain information when called on the telephone. By means of the synthetic em. ployees a despatcher of an electric power company or street railway, upon telephoning to the unattended power house or substation, could ascertain whether certain machines were running, what switches were in the circuit, which ones out, and certain other pure facts into which judgment of opinion does not enter. A technician of the company explained the process as follows : ” The method of using the new system is easily understood. The despatcher has before him a small box, on top of wii..-n stands a standard desk telephone. On the face of the box are three push buttons, and above is a small loud speaker point ing at the transmitter of the telephone. Let us assume that it is desired to bring into service a certain machine in an unattended station. The despatcher picks up the receiver of his telephone and calls the number of the desired station in the usual manner. After the exchange connection is completed the distant bell rings. A ringing relay calls into action the sub-station equipment, which lifts the receiver of the telephone just enough to signal the operator that the called party has answered. A buzzer at the sub-station is caused to transmit a code signal which the despatcher hears, and interprets to mean that the desired station is now conneftted. He Then pushes one of the three buttons in such manner as to transmit a series of tuningfork notes, each of which causes the selector switch to step one notch when picked up by the electric ear. The sub-station then sends a code of buzzer signals advis. ing the despatcher of the number of the device selected. This is to avoid errors should th e despatcher inadvertently send the wrong signal, or should the equipment fail to make the selection indicated by him. Let ns suppose that ho hears the correct answering signal, and is thus certain that the desired machine is ready to bo started. A touch on the second of the three push buttons sends out a different note. The sensitive electrical car detects the difference in pitch and routes the signal to a different relay, which closes the operating circuit and brings into action the machine previously selected. The buzzer answering signal then changes in character, thus advising the despatchnthat the desired result has been accomplished. No other function of the substation being necessary at this time, the despatcher presses the third button, which sends still a different note to the substation. The intelligent device accepts this as its dismissal from active duty for the present. The receiver is dropped into place, the local control circuits are disconnected, and the whole device is left in position to be called into service instantly by the ringing of the telephone bell.’ _ At present three units of this electrical ‘‘ fifth estate ” arc already in use. They arc in (he service of the War Department, and are .assigned to watch three reservoirs of the water supply at Washing, D.G, When they are called on the telephone from water supply headquarters, they report the number of feet of water in each reservoir by emitting a characteristic note a certain number of times, wihch varies according to the quantity of water. Pumping activities are regulated accordingly They eliminate the necessity of employing at least three watchmen, and are on duty 24 hours a day. The day may not be far off when the housewife will regulate her homo and order the meals by this “ televocal ” device, arriving home for dinner at the same time as her husband.

Organists in kincmas frequently receive higher salaries than the combined total paid to the organist and lay clerks in cathedrals, according to a recent statement by the organist of Ripon Cathedral. The great British railway companies employ 19,398 horses, all except 1000 being used in haulage work. They own about 33,000 horse-drawn vehicles, as compared with only 2501 motor vehicles for transporting goods.